Redéfinition de l'individu
by Kymanlvr
Summary: Kyle Broflovski is tired of his dull, unchanging life.  But after he returns from being away from South Park for the summer, things start to spiral out of control, and everything falls apart. Mainly Kyman.  Strong language and references to sex.
1. Chapter 1

-.-.-.-.-.

Pairings: Kyle x Cartman, Stan x Wendy, hinted Stan x Kyle, and friendship amongst all of our favorite South Park characters.

Disclaimer: All characters in this story do not belong to the author.

Author's Note:

This project has taken me quite some time to complete, and I can hardly believe that I am finally able to upload it. I want to thank everyone again who read and reviewed my story Hate. It gave me the confidence needed to work on another project. I hope that you all enjoy this one just as much, if not more, as my previous one. It is must more plot-driven than Hate, and although it is a kyman story (what else?) their relationship isn't the only focus in the story. Please let me know if you enjoy it or not. It will help me with any future projects. I would also appreciate it if you could let me know if you like this style of story better than the one used for Hate, for those of you who read my other work. Thank you everyone!

-.-.-.-.-.

**Redéfinition de l'individu**

_By Kymanlvr_

On the outside, Kyle Broflovski was a normal kid in South Park. He was always polite to the adults. He got amazingly good grades in school. He laughed loudly whenever he was hanging out with his friends. But inside, Kyle was facing a personal crisis. It was sometime after entering high school that the feeling began, but it wasn't until the start of tenth grade that Kyle started to feel depressed about it.

Every day was exactly the same. He would wake up and adhere to the same morning routine that he had been following since he was four. He would walk to school following the same path. He would stand, waiting for the same bus with his same three friends. He would go to school and go to the same subjects he's been studying since elementary school. He would walk home with Stan and sometimes Kenny, taking the same path they always have.

Kyle was sick of his dull life. He hated it. He loved his friends, and he enjoyed hanging out with them, but he felt like something was missing. He had grown sick and tired of the people and the town of South Park, but most of all, of the path that was set up before him. He felt as if he constantly floated along with no real sense of purpose.

He felt lost.

He tried to accept the fact that things in South Park didn't change. Once in a while, a family would move away, or a new one would come. And sometimes, someone would die or a baby would be born. But overall, the people in South Park stayed and those who left would invariably come back.

He once tried to explain his dark feelings to Stan, but the other boy just didn't understand. Certainly, Stan listened to his rant and sympathized with Kyle, but he didn't feel the same way. Stan was happy with how his life was going. He was dating Wendy steadily and was on the football team. Things were going great. Kyle felt even more alone after their talk.

He also started explaining to Kenny his feeling that his life was a meaningless existence, but Kenny, not realizing the seriousness of Kyle's feelings, brushed off the conversation before it even began. Had Kenny known what Kyle was beginning to talk about, Kenny would have immediately dropped everything and listened to his friend, and would share his own feelings of how his life was a set path that he couldn't escape from. Instead, Kenny was unaware of Kyle's plight.

Kyle floated through each day, merely existing. He became a little quieter around his friends, and even Cartman's insults barely made him react. Kyle ceased to care. More significantly, he stopped being passionate, which was the complete opposite of who Kyle was. Stan and Kenny barely noticed the change, figuring Kyle was just going through some sort of phase. Kyle craved to do something different, something that he had never done before. He yearned for something – anything – in his world to change.

Besides his yearn for something new, he also had discovered his lack of interest in girls. In fact, he was quite sure that he was gay. He knew that announcing that he was gay would be complete and utter social suicide, and it would follow him until the day he died. Everyone in town would find out in a heartbeat if anyone knew, and he was pretty sure he would be humiliated by most of his classmates. Although he suspected he could trust Stan with his secret, he wasn't quite ready to share his most recent discovery with his best friend. He wasn't sure how Stan would react, and besides – he was currently harboring a small crush on the boy. He knew it wouldn't turn into anything, and it wasn't too serious, but he refused to ever tell Stan of his secret feelings. Stan was just so… _hot_.

Kyle was confused and lost. He threw himself mostly into his studies, but the passion wasn't there anymore. He didn't want to become a lawyer. He didn't want to see the same teachers and the same classmates day in and day out. He didn't want to be in South Park anymore.

But Kyle also didn't want to leave South Park permanently. He loved his friends, and couldn't imagine a life without them. They had been there for as long as he could remember, and although Kyle craved change, he didn't want _that_ to change. It was his friends who kept him sane, even if they didn't notice Kyle's dilemma.

It surprised Kyle, however, when one of them did notice.

"What the hell is wrong with you lately?"

It was a cool, crisp winter morning in March. The earth was frozen with piles of snow on top, which was pretty typical in South Park. It was on this particular morning, however, that Kyle was at the bus stop earlier than normal. More unusual was the fact that Cartman had gotten there before him.

Kyle shrugged, watching the snowflakes fall gently to the ground. "Nothing's wrong."

"Bullshit. Something's wrong. Something's BEEN wrong for at least three months now. Spill."

Kyle looked at Cartman, surprised. Out of all the likely people to have noticed, Cartman would have been at the bottom of the list. The other boy had barely changed at all since elementary school. He still was an uncaring, selfish boy with little interest in anyone else but himself. Kyle used to fight with Cartman, back when he cared. Recently, the only thing left of their old relationship was Cartman's insults. He would mercilessly egg Kyle nonstop in a desperate attempt to get the other boy to respond. Most of these attempts failed miserably.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

Kyle kept studying Cartman. He still wore the same jacket and hat that he always did, only a few sizes bigger. He was scowling in Kyle's direction, obviously more than miffed about the situation.

"Cartman, this is YOU we're talking about. I don't share things with you for a reason."

Cartman's scowl deepened and he looked away, fixing his eyes straight ahead. "Fine. But you need to snap the fuck out of this. You've been such an emo pussy lately."

Kyle didn't respond, following Cartman's example of looking straight ahead into space.

"See?" he spat. "This is what I'm talking about. Get a grip."

"Do you ever wonder if the world out there is like it is here?" Kyle speculated absentmindedly, his voice almost lost in the wind.

"What do you mean?"

"Unchanging."

They stood in silence, listening to the wind as it blew past their covered ears. Kyle couldn't even feel the cold anymore.

That day ended, and another began; after that, another. The days dragged on slowly, and Kyle felt like he merely existed instead of lived. Every day was exactly the same. He wondered why he even went on. It was like he was on a never ending ride that he couldn't get off of.

On a typical Monday in May, Kyle didn't expect that a single conversation would change the rest of his life. His French teacher pulled him aside after class, and handed him a small packet.

"Here, Kyle," she said, smiling. "I really hope you will give this consideration."

Kyle looked down, flipping open the booklet. He immediately closed it. "Yes."

She laughed. "Yes?"

"Yes," he repeated. "I'll go."

It seemed only natural, or perhaps necessary, that he agree to attend a language camp just outside of Chicago. It would last the duration of summer break, which would mean he wouldn't be able to see his friends for an entire three months. However, he would be meeting other high school students from across the country. Also, he would be immersed in a setting where he would be surrounded by French all the time. It was a great opportunity to improve on his French, and be a year ahead of others in his grade, but more importantly, a chance to get a break from the small town of South Park.

It took some time, but he was finally able to convince his mother only a few days before the signup deadline. He highlighted the educational aspect of it, and she couldn't argue with him. His friends were naturally disappointed.

"What?" Stan exclaimed, his jaw dropping. "What do you mean, 'gone for the whole summer?'" Stan still wore his signature blue hat; in fact, he still wore the exact same outfit that he did when he was younger. His black hair stuck out a bit from under his hat, and he was definitely taller than he once was. Everyone knew how gorgeous Stan was, and if Stan wasn't already dating Wendy, all the girls would flock to him in a heartbeat. Kyle was just a little bit jealous. Although Kyle had no interest in girls, he wished he looked as good as his Super Best Friend did.

Kyle sighed. "I leave a week after school lets out, and I don't get back until the day before school starts up again in the fall." He calmly stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"But… that means I won't see you the entire summer!"

"Mmph mmph mph mph mmph mhmhmmph?" Kenny asked from under his hood. Like Stan, he still wore the same outfit. As a matter of fact, everyone in the town of South Park always wore the same outfit.

"Well, I was thinking about it for a while, but I just finalized it with my mom yesterday. It sounds really cool."

"Mph."

Stan still looked shocked, trying to digest this new information. He was quiet while Cartman walked up to the bus stop where they were all waiting.

"Hey, fags, what's up?"

"Mmph mph mmphn hm mph mmmph mmph mph."

"… what?" Cartman stared at Kenny for a second, and then his eyes swept over to Kyle. Kyle glanced over, knowing what was coming. Cartman blinked once. "You… you're going away for the WHOLE summer?"

Kyle nodded.

Cartman stared at him for a few seconds, and then burst out laughing. He started doing an obnoxious dance. "YES! I am without Jew for three whole months! This is the beeest!"

Kyle pursed his lips disapprovingly, but didn't respond. Cartman's response was predictable.

"Not cool, Cartman," muttered Stan grumpily. "Kyle, I can't believe you didn't tell us about this sooner!"

"Sorry, dude. I didn't think my mom would let me go, but since she gave me permission, well… I think it's a great opportunity. You know… for something new."

Stan opened his mouth to argue, but the bus screeched to a halt in front of him. The four boys quickly filed in, sitting in the same seats they always did. Conversation quickly turned to the usual subjects, but Stan was quieter than usual. When the brief bus ride ended and they started walking to the school, Stan lightly grabbed Kyle's arm. Kyle paused, looking at his friend questioningly.

"Kyle…" Stan started. "I… I'm glad that you get to, you know… go do something different. I'll miss you, but it won't be that long… so… yeah."

Kyle blinked a few minutes, and then smiled warmly. "Thanks, Stan. I'll have my laptop and access to internet, so we'll chat every night. It won't be so bad."

Stan smiled. "Yeah."

More uneventful, pointless days came and went. Kyle felt himself get more excited about his trip every day. The closer it got to his departure, the slower time seemed to pass. But eventually, school was out, and it was the day before Kyle was leaving for Chicago. They were all over at Stan's house, playing rock band. It was moments like this that Kyle appreciated the most. Despite his overall dissatisfaction with his daily life, he truly valued the times that he was able to hang out with his friends. Cartman was singing passionately into the microphone as Kenny enthusiastically went into a quick drum solo; Kyle grinned as they finished the final few notes of the song, finishing in unison with Stan.

"Mmph! Mph mhmhmph!" Kenny exclaimed.

Stan laughed. "Wow! You're right, Kenny! Awesome job, guys! All 100%!"

Kyle smiled, plopping onto the couch. "Cool."

"Yeah, that was pretty sweet," Cartman agreed. Kyle glanced over at Cartman and grinned.

"Yeah."

"Hey," Stan started. "Kyle, we're going to miss you."

"Hey! Speak for yourself," Cartman quickly interjected.

"I'll miss you guys, too," Kyle replied, ignoring Cartman's comment. "I'm sure it will go by quickly… I mean, summer break always does. I'll be back before you know it."

Stan grinned. "You guys hungry? Let's order a pizza."

"Sounds good!" Kyle replied.

"Mmph!" Kenny agreed.

They watched old reruns of Terrance and Phillip while they ate their pizza, reminiscing of old adventures. When it was time for Kyle to leave to finish some last minute packing, the goodbye was long. Cartman didn't say anything as Stan and Kenny wished Kyle good luck while making him promise to go online every night. Kenny punched Kyle's arm affectionately right before Stan hugged him. Kyle laughed a bit nervously, patting him on the back. Stan pulled away quickly, grinning sheepishly at his friend.

Kyle glanced at Cartman, who reluctantly met his eyes. A brief moment passed before Cartman spoke.

"Good riddance, Jew."

Kyle couldn't help smiling a bit. It was Cartman, but sometimes he couldn't help but feel affection for his nemesis. "Bye guys!" His smile turned into a grin before turning around and heading out the door.

-.-.-.-.-.

Within the three months that Kyle was away, nothing in South Park changed. Daily life went on without interruption, and although Kyle was missed, things weren't much different. In contrast, Kyle felt that he had completely undergone a life altering experience. He met many different kids, many of whom he befriended. Each day had been unique and special in some way.

Kyle felt refreshed when he returned to South Park. He felt confident, passionate, and for the first time in months, he felt like _himself_. His time away had re-centered Kyle. It was exactly what he needed.

He took a look at himself in the mirror before he left for the bus stop. He hadn't been able to see his friends since he got back, and he hadn't chatted online with them for almost a whole month. He had gotten busy in the last month of his stay, and hadn't had the time or energy at night to go online. He was excited about seeing them again. He grinned at his refection before glancing at his old, green hat. He wouldn't need that anymore.

He was a little worried leaving his house that morning without his hat. He had worn that hat since he was little. The original reason for wearing it was due to the cold weather outside; however, the hat also hid his hair so that Cartman wouldn't make fun of it. Due to its dual purpose, and to the fact that no one changed their appearances in South Park, Kyle had always worn it. But he had stopped wearing it during the camp, and he wasn't going to start wearing it again anytime soon. He was tired of covering up just for the sake of hiding who he was. He was done. He was going to go back to being Kyle.

With a deep breath, he left his reflection to start the short walk to the bus stop. It was cold, as usual, but it wasn't too bad. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, shivering slightly. He wondered what his friends would say.

As he neared the bus stop, he saw that all three of his friends were there already, facing in the same direction they had always faced. He calmly walked up to them, taking his usual place at the end. Little did the others know that their lives would never be the same again.

"Hey guys."

There was no turning back now.


	2. Chapter 2

If Stan Marsh was sure of anything in this world, he was sure that things in South Park would always stay the same. But unlike Kyle, this fact didn't bother him. His family was perfect, if not crazy. Sure, his dad embarrassed him most of the time, but it was his father, and he loved him. His sister wasn't the greatest either, but he had learned to accept her and her idiosyncrasies. And he loved his mom to death, even though she sometimes worried too much about his well being.

In addition to having a loving family, he had a girlfriend whom he loved with all of his heart. They had been dating steadily since the eighth grade, but had been good friends before that. He couldn't picture his world without Wendy. They matched together perfectly. He knew that one day they would get married and start a family; there wasn't a doubt in his mind that they were meant to be together. It hadn't gone unnoticed by Stan that Wendy was sometimes very similar to Kyle, but that was why Kyle and he got along so well. He loved Kyle just as much as he loved Wendy. They had gone through everything together. He also had Kenny and Cartman with whom he was much attached. Overall, Stan was surrounded by people who he loved and who loved him back. He didn't care if his world never changed, because it was perfect just the way it was. In fact, it was best if nothing ever changed at all.

It was hard for Stan to accept Kyle's absence, especially since the last month Kyle had stopped all communications. It had been the longest he had gone without speaking with his best friend. He felt hurt and betrayed, as if Kyle had chosen the outside world over South Park, and therefore, over Stan. He knew before Kyle walked up that fateful September morning that he would forgive him, but that didn't stop him from being upset about the matter.

"Hey guys."

Cartman made a soft grunt in response as Kenny gave a short, muffled greeting. Stan said nothing, staring straight ahead. Kyle blinked, glancing at Stan.

"…Stan?"

Stan didn't answer immediately, but reluctantly said "hey" after a few seconds.

"Dude… what's wrong?"

Stan sighed. "Kyle, what the fuck? I haven't talked to you in, like, a month."

"I'm sorry… I got really busy at the end of camp… But I should have made the time. I'm sorry, Stan."

Stan sighed again. He could never stay mad at his best friend. "It's… ok dude. Let's just-"

It was then that Stan glanced over at Kyle, and words failed him. His jaw dropped as his stared at his best friend.

Kyle studied him in silence, not offering any explanation.

"K-KYLE?" Stan exclaimed.

It was at this moment that Kenny looked at Kyle, and he too gave a muffled shout. Stan vaguely heard Cartman sigh, but then give a surprised "-the fuck?"

Not only was Kyle not wearing his hat, but he wasn't wearing his usual outfit at all. Kyle's hair had been cut. No longer did he have a 'Jew-fro.' Instead, his hair was shorter, framing his face in soft, red curls. He was wearing a different jacket, unzipped slightly to reveal a black graphic tee. He was also wearing a pair of grey, slightly tight jeans. Stan barely recognized his best friend.

He looked amazing.

Even though he knew Kyle was staring at him, Stan's mouth opened and shut speechlessly, his eyes darting all over Kyle's body, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. Stan couldn't believe that his best friend suddenly got…

He didn't want to finish that thought. There was no way he was finishing that thought.

Stan wanted to hug his friend, who he hadn't seen in three months. He wanted to get angry, demanding to know what the hell happened. But most of all, he wanted to puke.

Oh, god, how he wanted to puke.

"Stan?" Kyle asked, studying his face carefully. "Are you ok? You look a little green."

"I-I'm fine," he croaked, hoping to god that he wasn't going to lose it.

"Mph mmph mmm hmm mpth mm hmph," Kenny observed.

Stan shook his head. "No, no I'm not."

"Are you sure, dude? Because you really look like you're going to." Kyle gently placed his hand on Stan's shoulder.

Stan continued to shake his head, not looking in Kyle's direction.

"God, get a room," Cartman grumbled.

"Shut the fuck up, Fatass!"

"Make me, you filthy Jew."

"Come over here and I will, lard ass!"

There was a moment of silence.

"…Welcome back, Kahl." Stan glanced over at Cartman, and he could have sworn there was a smirk playing on his lips.

"T-thanks," Kyle stuttered, obviously taken aback. Stan peeked over at him, catching the confused but slightly pleased look on his friend's face, then quickly looked away, covering his mouth with his hand.

This was going to take some getting used to.

-.-.-.-.-.

"So what the fuck?"

Stan and Kyle sat together, as always, on the ride to school. Kyle blinked, glancing at him.

"What?"

"You know what."

Kyle paused, studying his friend. He then sighed, brushing his hair out of his eyes as he faced forward again.

"You know how depressed I was."

Stan nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"I… well, I went to that camp, and it was awesome. Like, epic Dude! And… I met so many cool people, and it made me realize that life outside of South Park is completely different. I seriously had an epiphany. Why am I going around, acting like I can't control anything in my life? Why am I just letting myself get sucked into what people expect of me? It was killing me. I felt like I had no control, but in reality, I do! I mean, why dress the same way I have since I was a kid? Why force myself to study to get into the school my parents picked for me since I was little? I'm tired of just living my life how others expect it to be. From now on, it's going to be how I want to live."

Stan studied his friend quietly, taking in his words. He knew that Kyle hadn't been himself lately, but he wasn't expecting such a huge change.

"I… I guess," he said quietly. "Are… you sick of us?"

"What? Hell no! Stan, you know you're my best friend, and I wouldn't change that for the world." Kyle smiled warmly at him. "I don't want you to think that this is because of you. I like you the way you are, dude."

"T-thanks," Stan muttered, feeling slightly embarrassed. But despite Kyle's kind words of encouragement, Stan still had a sinking feeling that because his friend had changed, things wouldn't be the same between them. After all, how could they?

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan couldn't believe how oblivious Kyle was. He walked through the hallway at school, unaware of all the stares he was getting from boys and girls alike. Kyle had, seemingly overnight, become hot. He didn't have the awkwardness in his body anymore. His clothes weren't the most trendy or stylish, but they fit him well. Also, everyone loved the new hair. Yet Stan knew that the sudden interest that the others had wasn't just because Kyle had become hot. It was also the fact that suddenly he was _different._ Not once, as long as any of them could remember, had another person in South Park changed their appearance. The only exception was when they were younger and constantly played dress up. But at the end of the day, they always returned to their usual outfits.

Random classmates had approached Stan all morning, questioning him about Kyle's sudden transformation. They wanted to know if the change was temporary, and why he decided to dress differently. Stan had no idea what had happened to Kyle, and he wondered how much of his friend truly changed.

When Kyle entered the lunchroom, Stan noticed all eyes were on his friend. Kyle calmly got his lunch before sitting down next to Stan at the lunch table. Stan avoided looking at him, while Kenny was busy doing the opposite.

"Hey guys. How are your classes so far?" Kyle asked.

"Weak," replied Cartman. "My German teacher is a total douche bag."

"That sucks." Kyle paused, frowning for a moment. He then looked between Stan and Kenny. "… Is it really that weird?"

"Yes," replied Stan immediately, trying not to sound as miserable as he felt.

"Why?"

Stan sighed, pinching his nose. Kyle took a swig of his Mountain Dew.

"Mph mmph hm mm!"

Kyle almost spit his soda out. He coughed a few times, then gasped at Kenny, "WHAT? What do you mean, 'hot?'"

Stan sunk into the seat further. There was no way he was going to puke.

"Mph MMPH."

"Jesus Christ, Kenny…." Kyle's cheeks flushed, which seemed to interest Kenny. He quickly looked over at Stan, who was sitting next to him. "Stan?"

"… No comment."

Kyle gaped at his friend. "But… you're straight."

"Yeah."

"But… I'm hot?"

Stan didn't respond.

"If it makes you feel any better," Cartman piped up, "I think you're just as ugly as you've always been."

Kyle glared diagonally across the table at Cartman. "Shut up, Cartman!"

"I think it's your Jew DNA… it's impossible to be good looking with such a huge nose."

"Goddamnit, Cartman!" Kyle growled. "Why do you always have to be such an asshole?"

"But Kaahl… I'm just being honest…"

Kyle made a frustrated sound in his throat before turning back to Stan.

Stan sighed. "Kyle, look around the lunchroom. Everyone is staring at you, and not just because you look differently than you did last year. Everyone's been asking me what the hell happened."

Kyle looked around the lunchroom. The girls who were staring at him blushed and quickly looked away, stealing quick glances when they thought he wasn't looking anymore. The guys kept awkwardly looking over in his direction, looking nervous and confused. Kyle looked back at his friends.

"Mph? Mph hm mmph mhmmmph!"

Kyle blushed. "Kenny? You're creeping me out." He looked back at Stan. "Dude… you really think I'm hot?"

"Mhm!"

Kyle ignored Kenny's agreement, waiting for Stan's answer. Stan wasn't sure why it mattered so much to Kyle, but there was no way he was going to admit that Kyle was hot.

"Shit Kyle, what do you want? I'm not gay."

Kyle stared at him, looking shocked. "Well, I know that!"

Cartman snorted. "Fags."

Kyle glared over at Cartman, but it was Stan who blew up.

"Shut up, Cartman! You know that we aren't, so shut the fuck up." Stan stood up. "I'm gonna go…"

"Huh? Stan, wait!" Kyle stood, but Stan was already gone. He quickly made his way out of the lunchroom, avoiding the looks that he was being given. He especially made it a point not to look in Wendy's direction. He couldn't face her now.

Not that he could face anyone at the moment. He quickly entered the boys' bathroom, locking himself into a stall.

"I'm not gay," he repeated to no one in particular. He took a few deep breaths, barely bothered by the strange smell of bleach and cigarette smoke. He wasn't gay. Maybe this was all just a phase. Maybe Kyle would go back to how he used to be in a few days. Stan could only hope, because as he thought about his friend and how his ass looked in those jeans, Stan suddenly heaved into the toilet.


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't as if he was ashamed. He was used to the way things were, and after all, things in South Park never changed. He had accepted that a long time ago. But sometimes, when he was feeling particularly helpless, he would fantasize about living a different life; a life where he could afford to go out with his friends once in a while. This fantasy life didn't involve getting called a "poor boy" or "broke son of a bitch," nor did it involve being hungry most of the time.

But Kenny wasn't ashamed. South Park was just like that. He had a role to play, a role that he couldn't escape from. He was expected to play it, and so he did. No one broke character. No one bent the rules. Everyone played their part. There were no exceptions.

Until now.

Kyle Broflovski had not only broken the rules, he was starting to rewrite them. Kenny knew this the moment he laid eyes on his friend that September morning. Kenny may be broke, but he wasn't stupid.

"Huh? Stan, wait!"

Kenny studied Kyle as he stood there, looking helpless. Kyle slowly sat down, staring off after his best friend.

"Mph mhhmhm hmphhm hm. Hmm mphmm hmmphm."

Kyle didn't respond right away, but eventually turned back in his seat. "I hope so. I don't know what's wrong with him."

"Mph hmmhm hhrm."

Kyle's cheeks turned pink again. "No. He's not."

"I don't know, he DID look like he was going to puke his guts out a second ago. I was surprised he didn't this morning."

"That doesn't mean anything! Maybe… maybe he's not feeling well."

"Hm mphm hmm hmm hhrm mphmpm."

"It's not denial, Kenny, it's… well, logical."

"He's totally gay for you."

"No he isn't!" Kyle growled. "He's just not used to me dressing like this yet. He'll get over it."

"So why are you dressing like that now, Fag?"

Kyle shot a glare across the table. "Because. I'm sick of this stupid town, and how no one ever changes."

Kenny stared at Kyle as he continued to bicker with Cartman. Kenny wasn't ashamed of who he was, but in this moment, Kenny allowed himself to hope that he could someday change too.

-.-.-.-.-.

In the next couple of days, Kyle continued to come to school without his old attire. In fact, every day he changed his outfit completely. He was still the talk of the school, and Kenny figured that this wouldn't change for a while. Stan was still acting strange around his best friend, and Kyle seemed to be affected by that. However, it didn't seem to change the red-head's decision at all. Kenny didn't treat Kyle any differently than before. Cartman as well seemed to act as he always did, but Kenny knew that even though they both weren't making a big deal out of it, it had definitely affected them as well.

It was Thursday. They had been in school for four whole days now, and finally Kenny was able to spend some one-on-one time with Kyle. They had wandered around the school building, wandering aimlessly together after their classes ended. Kenny was dying to talk to Kyle about his summer experience and his transformation.

"So anything exciting happen this summer?"

"Mmh mrmhr. Mhm mm hmm."

"Died? How many times?"

"Hm mmhrrm."

"Huh… well, let me know the exact days later… I'll put it in the book."

Over the years, Kenny and Kyle had always been friends. In elementary school, Kyle and Stan usually paired off, leaving Kenny to hang out more with Cartman. However, Kyle and Kenny started hanging out even more during middle school. The turning point had been when Kenny became depressed, once again, about the others not remembering his deaths. It had been an extremely hard time for Kenny, for he always felt estranged from his friends because of his curse. He had started killing himself on purpose, and it got to the point where he was doing it almost every day. Kyle had been the one to notice that he was acting strange, and approached him. Kenny had screamed at Kyle, having a sickening familiar conversation with him about his inability to die and how no one could remember. Kenny had these conversations multiple times with his friends, but for some reason, this particular outburst made Kyle do something different. He grabbed a notebook, and told Kenny that he would write down every time that Kenny died. Kenny was quite sure that Kyle thought he was nuts and was just humoring him, so Kenny made Kyle promise once more that he would record it before blowing his brains out with his favorite 9 mm Browning.

Kyle had kept his promise, and although he didn't remember the incident, he had a record of actually seeing it. Kyle had shared his revelation with the others, and from then on, Kenny felt that his friends finally understood the loneliness that Kenny had felt all those years. Out of all of his friends, Kyle was the most diligent about recording Kenny's deaths. He had even written on a piece of paper "Did Kenny die today?" and hung it in his room, so that he would see it daily and remember to write about it in his book.

Kenny snorted. "Hmm hm hrmm mhmhmm hmm."

Kyle laughed. "Yeah, I know. But I can't rely on the others to record it. Besides, even if I wasn't there, I still want to know about it."

"Hmm."

"Don't mention it. So… anywhere you wanna go?"

Kenny shrugged.

"Ha, yeah… there really isn't much to do in this town anyway…" Kyle kicked at a rock that was on the ground, and watched it hit the school wall.

"Mhmhm?" he asked softly, leaning against the side of the building.

"Yeah? What's up, Ken?"

Kyle was completely at ease with himself, also choosing to lean against the wall. Kenny was enraptured. Kyle wasn't much different than he was before, but something about Kyle had changed enough to make Kenny notice. It was something deeper than his appearance. Before Kyle left, he had been more quiet than usual, and didn't seem to be himself. Now, Kyle was much more like the Kyle he grew up with; vibrate, passionate, and compassionate. He represented something that Kenny wanted to be, something that couldn't be found in anyone else in South Park.

"Hmmhm mhhhm hrm hrmmhm mhhm?" he questioned, glancing at the other boy from underneath his protective hood.

Kyle blinked, looking over at his friend. His vibrant curls danced softly in the breeze.

"Well…" he pondered, his emerald eyes leaving Kenny and looking out into the distance. "I wasn't happy with things. I mean, day in and day out, things didn't change. I was feeling lost and helpless… like, I was stuck. Every day, I would go through the motions. It was as if I wasn't even living. But when I went to that camp, I suddenly felt liberated. I felt as if things didn't have to be the way they were. Even though this is South Park, and even though no one ever changes, I felt like I could. And something in me snapped. I mean, for the longest time I just went with the flow. But that's not me. I couldn't just be beaten down just because the others expect me to act or think or dress in a certain way. I guess, in a way, I'm fighting back. The kids I met while I was there were independent, and could think for themselves. They didn't wear the same outfit every day. They didn't always follow the same routine. I realized while I was there that I didn't want my life to be what my parents expected it should be. I don't want to become a lawyer like my dad. I don't want to necessarily live here my entire life. I don't want anyone else telling me what to do or how to do it. I'm done. I made a decision while I was there that I wouldn't let that happen again."

Both boys stood in silence; Kyle, lost in deep thought, and Kenny, lost for words. He was mesmerized.

"Hrm mmph hm," he stated softly after a long moment, his words almost lost in the breeze.

"Huh? Envy?" Kyle laughed lightly. "Why?"

"Hmmhm. Mmmph hmmhm mm hmhmmhm hrm mmph hmph hmmhm mrhm."

Kyle studied him thoughtfully as Kenny blushed underneath his hood. It felt as if Kyle's words completely echoed what Kenny was going through. He felt a closer connection to Kyle than he ever had in the past.

Kyle smiled gently. "Well… let's change that."

"Hmmhm mmhm hm?"

"Let's change that," he repeated. "If you're unhappy, then do something about it."

"Mmmhm mmphm hm."

"Just because you come from a poor family doesn't mean things can't change! Fuck this town, Ken. You're worth more than how much money you have, and if they can't see that, then their fucking blind. Take off your hood."

Kenny stared wide-eyed at Kyle. "Hmm?"

"Yes, now."

Kenny wasn't sure what to do. He hadn't taken off his hood in public for a long time. It had protected him, and made him more confident around his friends. When he was younger, it was due to being ashamed of being known as the "poor kid." Also, he was naturally a shy child, and the hood seemed to give him the confidence to speak his mind. Although he wouldn't call himself ashamed of his situation anymore, the hood continued to give him a sense of security that nothing else had.

Kyle seemed to notice his hesitation, and he smiled encouragingly. "It was hard for me at first too. While I was at camp, all the kids asked me why I continued to wear my hat. I couldn't really explain to them properly why I was so attached to it. They thought it was so strange that I wore the same thing every day. But I soon came to realize that the hat and outfit didn't define who I was. I stopped wearing it after a couple of weeks. It was the hardest thing for me to stop wearing. When I came back to South Park, it was difficult to leave the house without it, even though I hadn't worn it for a couple of months. Yet I realized that the hat wasn't protecting me from anything. It's just a hat."

Kyle's smile was caring and understanding. Kenny was nervous. Could things change for him? Dare he even hope? He slowly reached up, pulling down his hood. It wasn't often that he went without his hood up. In fact, it felt strange to have it down. As the wind hit his face and made his hair tickle his cheeks, Kenny felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He took a deep breath, relishing this new sense of overwhelming freedom.

"See? It's not that bad, is it?" Kyle asked, grinning happily at his friend.

"I-I guess not." His voice sounded strange, almost foreign.

Kyle laughed. "It's good to hear your voice, dude."

Kenny chuckled nervously. "Thanks."

-.-.-.-.-.

Kenny continued to wear his hood over the weekend, but when he hung out with Kyle on Sunday afternoon, he shyly slipped his hood off. Kyle didn't make a big deal about it, and continued to treat him the same as he always had. Kenny was thankful.

"So I went on an interview yesterday," Kyle mentioned casually. They were in Kyle's room, chatting idly. Kyle leaned back on his hands, flashing a grin at Kenny.

"Really?" His voice still sounded foreign to him, but he was starting to get used to it.

"Yeah. It was at the video store. I'm really hoping they'll hire me. My parents would have an aneurism if they knew I was going to be working while going to school. They are always concerned about my grades."

"Do you think it went well?"

"Yeah, I think so. He said that he was going to call me in a couple days to let me know. I'm the first kid ever to try to get a job while in high school in a while, so I'm not sure if he'll be willing to hire me or not. But I really want the extra money, and… well…" He grinned. "I supposed I especially want to do it because no one else does it. But it's not like that's the only reason."

"Do you still plan to go to college?"

"I DO want to go. But it would be nice to have some money saved up for that. I'll quit if my grades suddenly drop. But I'd only be working a few hours per week, and I'll still be putting time aside to study and do homework. I'm sure my grades may not be as good while I'm working, but that's ok. I don't think I'm going to a private university anymore, so… I don't need perfect grades."

"Wow."

Kyle laughed. "Yeah, I guess my priorities have changed."

"You've definitely changed a lot. But… I think it's a good thing."

Kyle snorted. "Stan doesn't think so."

"He'll come around eventually. He just needs to get used to the idea that you haven't really changed, deep down inside. You've just changed your appearance and future plans, is all."

"I hope he does. I don't want to lose his friendship because of this."

"You won't."

Kyle smiled appreciatively at his friend. "Dude, you rock. Thanks."

Kenny laughed nervously. "Thanks. But seriously, I think…" He felt shy, even though he had known Kyle for most of his life. Damn that hood. It was hard to continue, but he forced himself to. "I think it's awesome. That… you've been taking charge and… well, doing what you want to do. I wish I could do the same."

"You can," he stated, matter-of-factly.

Kenny shook his head. "No… no I can't. I mean… even now I don't feel… confident."

"Why? Because you don't have your hood on?"

"Yeah… I mean, with you, it's ok, but with the others? I've just worn it for so long… I guess the real reason is that because my family is so poor, I usually look so… grungy. I don't want the others to see further proof of how pathetic my family life is." He let out a bitter chuckle. "How sad is that?"

Kyle seemed to contemplate his words for a moment. "Well," he said carefully, "Why don't you come to my house every night and take a shower? Seriously, my parents won't mind."

"I-I couldn't…"

"Yeah, you could. It's easy. No one cares. It's fine."

Kenny was shocked. "O-ok, I guess. As long as your family doesn't mind…"

"Trust me, they won't. Also, you can do your laundry here. I know that sometimes they shut off the water at your house, and it costs a lot to go to the Laundromat."

"Kyle, I-… you don't need to do all this, it's ok…"

"No, Kenny, I would love it if you did. I don't think it's fair that you have to hide your appearance all the time."

Kenny laughed. "Yeah, I guess… I wish I could be more like you, Kyle. The thought of having more than one outfit to my name is… well… unimaginable."

"If you had different outfits, would you wear them?"

"I would if I could. It doesn't look that hard, and for once I wouldn't be hiding all the time. But it's not like that's pos-"

Kyle grinned, cutting him off. "Great! Let's go to the mall."

"What are we doing there?" Kenny asked.

"I'm getting you some new clothes - ones that you can change every day." Kyle pushed up from the bed.

"W-wait, Kyle… you don't have to do that."

Kyle looked back at him. "I know I don't. Come on." Kyle opened the door, leading the way downstairs.

Kenny stared after his friend, shocked. Although he had understood the significance of Kyle's wardrobe change, Kenny couldn't have possibly predicted that he, too, would be offered the chance to redefine himself. This was the moment that Kenny had been wishing for his entire life. He had always wanted the chance to show South Park that he wasn't just the poor kid down the street; that he wasn't necessarily going to grow up to become his father. His chest felt tight with barely controlled joy. He never could have thought clothes shopping would make him feel like his life would never be the same again. But Kenny knew that changing his appearance was a bold, almost political statement to the citizens of South Park. He was sick and tired of being who they defined him to be. For the first time in a long while, he felt ashamed. It wasn't because he was poor, but because he had simply done what was expected of him. From now on, he would be the teenager that he always wanted to be. He would finally be Kenny, and no one else could tell him otherwise.

He jogged after Kyle. Today was the first day of the rest of his life. There was no turning back now. He would never be ashamed of himself again.

-.-.-.-.-.

When Kenny walked up to the bus stop, he was nervous. The others were already there. He walked behind Cartman, taking his place between him and Stan. Kyle wasn't in his usual spot, but was instead leaning against the pedestrian sign. He flashed a grin at Kenny.

"Hey, Ken."

"Ken?" Stan questioned, glancing at Kyle. "Since when do you call him 'Ken'?"

Kenny took a deep breath.

"Morning."


	4. Chapter 4

If Eric was the best at anything, it was at lying. God, he was a good liar. He was especially good at lying to himself.

Eric told himself that he didn't care about anyone. He had learned early in life that he had to look out for himself, and never rely on anyone else. People were just pawns in the game of life that he tried to use to his advantage. Whenever he became aware that he was getting too attached to a particular person, he would do something to push them away. Eric would rather hurt others than to get hurt himself. What did it matter, anyway? They could all die for all he cared. At least, that was what he told himself.

Although he had tried as hard as possible, he still knew if Stan or Kenny suddenly disappeared from his life, he would be at least remotely upset. He had spent too much time with them to not feel the loss. And Kyle… well, he hated that good for nothing Jew, but he had gotten used to their rivalry. His greatest desire was to best the other boy, to get him to surrender, to finally beat him into submission. Whenever Kyle wasn't there, Eric felt as if a void was left in his place. South Park didn't feel right without Kyle there. No one fought back like Kyle did. Eric respected this, even though he hated everything Kyle stood for.

And if someone hurt Kyle? Well… he would kill the son of a bitch.

But it wasn't like he cared for the kike. Eric knew that if Kyle had the chance, he'd backstab him without a second thought. There was no love between them. It was just his job to hurt Kyle.

Yes, Eric Cartman was good at lying. He even had himself completely fooled.

"Morning."

Cartman almost jumped when he heard the foreign voice. His head snapped to look at Kenny, gaping. He hadn't heard Kenny's un-muffled voice since elementary school, and it had certainly changed since then.

Stan was also gaping at Kenny, bewildered. "Shit, not you too!"

Kenny shrugged, grinning at both of them cheekily. He was wearing a basic pair of jeans. He still had a quilted jacket, but it didn't have a hood on it, and it was chocolate brown instead of orange. His blonde hair was deliberately messy on the top of his head.

Stan groaned. "What the hell is going on with you guys?"

"Nothing," Kenny replied. "Just wanted to do something different, is all."

"You look like a fag." Not true at all.

Kenny shot a grin over in Cartman's direction. "Like what you see?"

"Definitely not."

"Whatever, Cartman, you know it's all for you."

Cartman took an exaggerated step away from his friend, crossing his arms over his chest. "Stay away; otherwise I'll catch your fag germs." He took a second to contemplate his next statement. "You've spent way too much time with Kyle, and now look at you – you're infected."

"Fuck you Fatass! You know that I don't have germs. What are you, seven?" The familiar angry look crossed over Kyle's face. Oh, how he loved it when he got mad.

"Oh, Kahl, how naïve you are. Of course you can spread germs. I've been avoiding your Jew germs for years."

"Sometimes it amazes me how stupid you are." Yes, keep going.

"I hope you're aware of the scientific fact that the only thing that spreads quicker than Jew germs is fag germs."

"Why don't you ever shut up?"

"Because it annoys you so."

"You're such a prick."

Cartman laughed. "You're just jealous that I have better comebacks than you."

"You do not."

"Do too!"

"Shit!" Kenny exclaimed. "You guys are so much louder when you aren't muffled by a thick hood!"

Cartman was annoyed that his exchange was interrupted. Kyle shook his head, huffing and looking away. The bus suddenly screeched up, right on time. Kyle quickly led the way into the bus, keeping a distance between himself and Cartman. Cartman took the opportunity to punch Kenny in the arm.

"Ow, what the fuck was that for?"

"You're a dick."

Even though Cartman could feel Kenny's stare, he ignored him, boarding the bus after Stan.

-.-.-.-.-.

"What crawled up his ass?" Cartman asked as he chewed thoughtfully, eyeing Stan from across the lunch table. He could tell Kyle was glaring at him without even looking.

"Shut up, Fatass. Nothing is wrong with him."

"He looks constipated."

"He's not constipated."

"I don't know… He certainly looks constipated. Is it possible to be constipated for an entire week?"

"Dude!" Stan growled. "I'm right here!"

Cartman chuckled, but scowled when he saw the hurt look on Kyle's face.

"I'm sorry… Stan, seriously, if anything is wrong, you know you can tell me, right?"

"Yeah, I know," was the mumbled reply.

God sometimes he hated those two.

"Hey guys!" Kenny sat down enthusiastically next to Cartman. "Shit, you have no idea how much attention I've been getting! At first, I was all quiet, because, seriously, I haven' t been without my hood for so long, but all these girls were staring at me, so finally I said hi to one of them, that girl over there, see, and we were totally flirting! And then not a couple seconds later, I said hi to another girl in the hallway, a SENIOR, and she fucking gave me her number!" He shoved his palm in Kyle's face to show him the messy writing. "This is the most awesome thing that's ever happened to me!"

"Whoa," Kyle laughed, shoving Kenny's hand away from his face. "Slow down, dude. Take a breath once in a while."

"I seriously can't thank you enough, Kyle! I'm so going to get me some pussy tonight…" Kenny blinked, noticing Stan. "Stan, you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…"

Cartman continued to eat, ignoring his friends for the time being. Stan was being an emo pussy, and Kenny was being way too enthusiastic over his new set of clothes. Kyle, well… he had to admit, Kyle's change was certainly… distracting. He let his mind wander, and briefly imagined what it would be like if he had done what Kyle and Kenny had. He frowned. Although Kyle and Kenny were receiving tons of attention, Cartman knew that no one would ever treat him differently, no matter how big a change he made.

For a moment, Cartman felt jealous of his friends.

"Hey, Fatass."

"Ay! Don't call me fat, you poor sack of shit!"

Kenny grinned at him, which only caused Cartman to scowl further. "Daydreaming about Kyle and his tight jeans?"

"What?" Kyle and Cartman squawked in unison.

"Sick, Kenny," Cartman spat, scowling down at his food. "You ruined my appetite."

Kyle glared at Cartman, but didn't say anything. Kenny grinned between the two of them, and Cartman resisted the urge to hit the bastard square in the nose.

-.-.-.-.-.

A couple of days passed, and not much changed. The other kids at South Park High School seemed to be getting a little bit used to Kyle at this point, but were still freaking out over Kenny. Cartman figured Kyle was helping the poor guy out, seeing as it looked like all of his clothes were staying clean and his hair was washed every day. Kenny obviously loved all the attention. Seeing two of his best friends suddenly popular made Eric feel pissed off. He didn't blame Kenny for jumping at the opportunity, but Kyle… Kyle barely cared about the popularity. He could have a million friends at that school. Why wasn't he taking advantage of that?

Cartman certainly didn't understand it, and he usually understood Kyle's motivations. He scowled to himself as he walked down the sidewalk. It was finally Friday afternoon. Stan had some sort of sports thing (Cartman never paid attention to his schedule), and Kenny was off socializing with some other people from school. He didn't know what the Jew was doing, but that didn't matter. They never hung out together, unless someone else was there with them. Cartman figured that he would just crash on his couch and watch movies all night. He was actually quite annoyed that Kenny had ditched him. The two of them usually did something on Friday nights after school. Cartman tried to silently convince himself that he preferred spending this Friday night alone.

When he went into the video store, however, he was met with a familiar set of green eyes. The other boy was standing in front of the rental counter. Cartman felt his stomach drop. They stared at each other for a moment, both shocked.

Cartman recovered quickly. "What are you doing here, Jew? Renting gay porn?"

Kyle glared, snapping out of his shock. "No," he ground out, "I work here."

"Say what?" Cartman's eyes quickly swept over Kyle's chest, just then spotting the name tag that clearly read "Kyle" and "Associate in Training."

"This afternoon is my first shift."

Cartman kept staring. "But… you're in high school," he said dumbly.

Kyle sighed. "So? It's not like its illegal or anything." He leaned casually on the front counter.

Cartman glanced around. "Are you alone?"

Kyle laughed. "No, but my manager is in the office. I don't know… this place is super laid back. He showed me how to use the cash register and then just left me out here. He said that if I had any questions, that I should get him." He shrugged.

"Wow."

"Yeah, I know."

"No, I mean, wow, I can't believe he trusts a Jew to handle the money."

"Shut up, Cartman," Kyle growled low in his throat. "You know damn well that stereotype isn't true."

"Just keep telling yourself that, Kyle. Just keep telling yourself that."

Kyle shot him a dirty look. "Whatever."

"Giving up so easily? Pussy."

"Shut…!" Kyle's voice had risen, but he seemed to realize this and lowered his voice, "…up, Fatass."

"Ha! I'm a paying customer, so you can't talk to me like that." Cartman smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Kyle glared at him. Cartman felt like he had won.

"So what are YOU doing here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to rent a movie."

"But it's Friday night… don't you have plans?"

"With who?" Cartman immediately regretted it after he said it, since it hinted at his pathetic social life. He mentally kicked himself as he quickly added, "No one is worth spending time with in this stupid town."

A knowing look crossed over Kyle's face. "Kenny ditched you, didn't he?"

"N-no way! I totally ditched him. I don't want to waste…"

"Cut the crap Cartman." Kyle sighed, shaking his head and looking away. "Some things never change," he muttered.

"Hey! You think you're so cool, now that you've supposedly 'changed?' You're still just as lame as you always were."

"So what if I am? I don't give a crap about that." Cartman was stunned. He wasn't expecting such a cop-out answer. "Anyway," Kyle continued, "it seems to me that you like me like me better now than a few months ago."

"What?"

"You heard me." Kyle cocked his head, studying him thoughtfully. "You like arguing with me."

They stared at each other; Cartman, with his mouth hanging open in surprise, and Kyle, eying the other with a pensive look. Cartman was truly taken aback for a moment. Like? Arguing? With HIM?

After a moment, he quickly retorted, "Quite the opposite. I'd rather you have not come back from that camp at all."

Kyle shook his head. "Why do you always have to be so stubborn?"

"Why do you have to be so Jewish?"

"Why do you have to be so fat?" There we go.

"Why do you have to have such a bitchy mom?"

"Why do you have to have such a slutty mom?"

"Fuck you, Jew! My mom isn't a slut!"

"Oh, yeah? Then why…-"

Suddenly, they heard a sound, and Kyle's manager came out of the backroom. Kyle and Cartman's heads snapped in the older man's direction, and he looked up from the clipboard he was looking at.

"Oh, Kyle? Is everything all right? I thought I heard shouting."

"N-no, sir. This is my friend from school, and we were just, um, talking about a movie," Kyle quickly explained.

"Smooth, really smooth," Cartman muttered under his breath so that only Kyle could hear. The red-head shot him a dirty glare before returning his gaze to his manager.

"Oh, well, that's good. Well, your shift is almost over. Why don't you go home for the night, so that you and your friend can spend some time together?"

Cartman made it look like he was about to protest, and Kyle hurried to say, "ThankssirI'llseeyoutomorrowlet'sgoCartman!" He grabbed Cartman's arm, and Eric tensed at the sudden touch. Kyle dragged him out of the store.

"Hey! Don't touch me with your stupid-"

"-Jew germs, I know, I know! For fucks sake, Cartman, why do you have to be so goddamn predictable?" Kyle let go of his arm as if it were on fire. Cartman glared at his enemy, ready for another show down. Kyle continued his rant. "Every time I try to say something nice, you throw it in my face. Every time someone ditches you, you say that you prefer it that way. Every FUCKING time I try to have a serious conversation with you, you turn it into… into a…" Kyle looked pissed, "Into a joke! Why can't you, for once in your life, actually say what you fucking FEEL!"

"Feelings are f-"

"-for girls, yeah I know." Kyle growled, and Cartman briefly wondered when his voice had lowered that much.

"Hey!"

"What?"

"Stop finishing m-"

"-your sentences?"

"S-"

"Stop it?"

"You g-"

"-good for nothing Jew?"

Cartman opened his mouth open and shut silently, not knowing what to say. Kyle waited patiently.

"F-"

"-fuck off?"

"ARGH!" Oh god, he wanted to punch him SO badly. "Why do you have to be so fucking annoying?"

"And why can't you just drop this whole 'I'm an asshole' act?"

"I'm not an asshole, and this isn't an act."

"Right, and I'm fucking Christian."

"I hate you."

"Why don't you just TRY being nice once in a while?"

"Why don't you get your big, filthy Jew nose out of my business?"

"No."

"You always do this! You're so fucking nosy."

"I'm not nosy."

"Yes, you are. You always try to 'fix' everything. Well, there's nothing to fix!"

"I beg to differ."

"This is who I am!"

"No. It's not. You're just scared to let anyone in."

"It's not like that at all." Cartman could feel himself start to panic. The Jew had become so calm, so collected. It was as if he knew everything. Cartman's palms were sweaty, and he noticed that he was panting slightly. He tried to gain his composure. He felt threatened. Kyle had the upper hand, and both of them knew it. He took a shaky breath in, trying to calm down. Kyle didn't give him long to recover.

"You know, if you-"

"Shut up."

"-would just let-"

"Shut up."

"-me be your-"

"SHUT UP YOU FUCKING KIKE!" Cartman snapped. He couldn't take it anymore. Kyle was about to destroy everything. He built up these walls for a reason. He lunged at the other boy, and both of them fell to the ground.

Kyle gave a sharp cry as they landed sharply, Cartman on top of him. Cartman quickly straightened himself up, straddling Kyle, and starting swinging at him blindly. Kyle's hands quickly flew up to protect his face.

"You stupid no good rotten filthy dirty low life ginger red-headed ugly stupid JEW!" Cartman yelled, his eyes tightly closes, his palms clenched, and his nerves practically shot. He kept his eyes shut as tightly as possible, mostly to hold the tears of frustration back.

Kyle didn't fight back. He simply let Cartman wail on him.


	5. Chapter 5

Kyle was the kind of person who saw the best in everyone. Even when he had been proven wrong a thousand times, he never gave up. His friends had often called him out on this, and some saw it as a personality flaw; a weakness, if you will. Kyle always insisted that everything bad had a good side. He had been accused many times that this belief would kill him one day.

Kyle knew that Stan often worried about his wellbeing, and he knew it was for good reason. Stan would warn him not to be so trusting, and after Kyle got burned, Stan would often tell him "I told you so."

This was especially true in the case of Cartman. More often than not, Kyle had insisted to the others that Cartman could change; that there was some goodness left inside the boy. Stan disapproved, but Kyle couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Cartman than he let on. Time and time again, Cartman let Kyle down. Not once did Cartman give any outward indication that Kyle was correct in his assumptions.

But Kyle was just as stubborn at Cartman, so he never let it drop. He stopped mentioning it to Stan, because he knew it frustrated his friend to see him get hurt. He also never brought it up with Cartman, because he knew that he would laugh in his face. But that summer, Kyle had opened his eyes. No longer was he ok with Cartman hiding behind his front. For once, Kyle understood why Cartman was the way he was. It was the same reason why everyone was the way they were in South Park. Kyle had played along, just as Cartman and the rest had done.

But enough was enough. Kyle had stumbled upon something, and there was no way he was keeping this realization to himself.

"You stupid no good rotten filthy dirty low life ginger red-headed ugly stupid JEW!"

Kyle briefly wondered why he had to push Cartman as far as he did. He kept his hands up, his eyes tightly shut as he kept his face turned away as the other boy wailed on him. Luckily, he wasn't getting too hurt. The punches stung a bit, but Cartman was mostly only hitting his hands. He vaguely heard the slapping sound Cartman's fists made as they repeatedly slammed into Kyle's palms. Cartman continued to cry out strings of insults, but Kyle paid no attention to them. Instead, he focused on the tone of Cartman's voice. Kyle knew that he had touched a rather sensitive nerve. He didn't need Cartman's weak, broken voice to confirm that.

Eventually, the punches started to become weaker and slower, and Cartman's insults turned into soft grunts and moans of dying rage. Kyle opened his eyes cautiously and then turned his head to look up at Cartman. He gently caught Cartman's right fist in his left hand. Cartman's head was hung, and his breath was ragged.

"Fuck… you… Jew…" he weakly muttered, his voice hitching softly. Kyle could feel Cartman's fist trembling.

Neither boy moved, both stuck in a moment that seemed to last a lifetime. Kyle was witnessing one of Cartman's rare moments of vulnerability, and there was no way in hell that he was going to interrupt that. Then again, he knew that in a few moments Cartman would recover and try to come up with either an excuse for his actions or a way to manipulate the incident into his favor. Kyle wasn't sure how, but he knew that he had to prevent this from happening.

He also knew that he had to break the silence between them sometime; they couldn't stay like that forever.

"Cartman," he said softly. "It's ok."

Cartman's shaking seemed to subside, and Kyle could see the other boy's jaw clench. "Don't patronize me." Kyle could practically feel the walls coming back up.

"I'm not."

"I'm not fucking weak."

"I know that."

Cartman kept his eyes closed, as if it protected him somehow from the awkward situation.

"I…" Kyle took a deep breath. It took a lot to say what he needed to say, mostly because he knew that normally Cartman would laugh in his face. "I've never thought that you were weak. In fact, I… think quite the opposite."

"I said don't fucking patronize me."

"And I said I wasn't."

Finally, Cartman opened his eyes. Kyle nervously looked back at the boy he had called his enemy for over ten years. The brown eyes held many different emotions that Kyle had not been privy to see very often. Kyle didn't try to hide his own emotions, either. Kyle was tired of pretending that they weren't friends. He knew that they both pretended to hate each other more than they actually ever did, and he was prepared to change that.

Once again, Kyle was gambling everything on his blind trust that there was more to Cartman than the other let on.

They stared, and they continued to do so for a long while. Neither boy said a word. Kyle felt like they were silently trying to work out some sort of agreement; some sort of understanding about what was happening. They didn't move.

Finally, Kyle dared to make the first move again. "I consider you a friend."

Cartman stared at him, not offering a reply.

Kyle kept trying. "I swear on my life that what I'm about to say is true…" Before he could continue, Cartman interrupted him.

"Don't."

Cartman's voice was soft yet gruff at the same time. Kyle studied his face.

"…Why not?"

Another long pause. "Because. We don't do this. We were never meant to."

"And who decided that?"

Cartman didn't seem to have any answers.

"I won't tell anyone about this."

"Good. Otherwise I'd rip your goddamn balls off." Cartman wiped at his face irritably, trying to wipe the wetness out of his eyes. Kyle could tell that he thought that he was lying.

"I swear I won't."

"Whatever."

"… Do you want to talk?"

"Talking is for girls, remember? If you can predict everything I'd say, then you would have predicted that and not asked such a faggy question."

"Fair enough."

Cartman finally rolled off of him, and Kyle was thankful. It had been an unusually close and uncomfortable position, and Cartman wasn't exactly light. Kyle sat up, putting his hands out behind him on the cold pavement of the sidewalk, glancing at the larger boy. Cartman sat cross-legged, glaring out into the distance.

Kyle bit his lip. "You never did rent your movie."

"If you hadn't butted into my business, then I wouldn't have forgotten."

"I guess."

Cartman sighed. "Why do you have to be such a pushover?"

Kyle felt a small smile tug at his lips. Cartman moodily glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, and Kyle's chest seemed to contract.

Cartman snorted, looking away. "You HAVE changed, Jew."

With that, they said nothing more. They sat there for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.

-.-.-.-.-.

That weekend, Kyle didn't get to see any of his friends. Whenever he wasn't working, he was catching up on his homework. He was glad when Monday came. He got to the bus stop early.

He was the first to arrive, so he threw his bag down on the ground, leaning against the South Park sign as he waited eagerly for his friends. He couldn't wait to talk about his new job with them. He was slightly nervous about seeing Cartman. After they had sat in silence for at least twenty minutes, both of them got up simultaneously and muttered farewells. However, he tried not to worry about it too much.

Stan arrived first, and Kyle was glad he did.

"Hey Stan!" he greeted enthusiastically.

"Hey," Stan responded, taking his usual place on the side of the road. Kyle pushed off of the sign and moved closer to his friend.

"So how was your weekend?"

"Okay… Friday I had practice… Saturday, Wendy and I hung out in her room, and we totally made out for, like, hours…" Kyle tried not to wrinkle his nose at the thought, "and Sunday my dad insisted on helping me fix up that old, nasty tree house we built back in elementary school."

"Why did he want to fix it up?"

"Beats me. I think it's because he's trying to reconnect with me. I've been busy lately, and I think he's craving some father and son time. Or something. Who knows."

Kyle smiled. Since coming back from language camp, Stan and his relationship had been awkward. For the first time that month, Kyle felt that Stan had relaxed about the whole incident.

"Well… how do you feel about that?"

Stan sighed. "I don't know. It's annoying, but he's my dad too, you know? Hopefully he gets over this soon."

"Yeah. Hey, what are you doing tonight?"

"I didn't have any plans…"

"Do you want to hang? We haven't yet since I've come back, and it's been WAY too long."

Stan smiled. "Ok, sounds good. My house or yours?"

"Either is fine with me."

"Cool."

Stan glanced over at Kyle. Kyle frowned as his friend suddenly went pale and looked away from him.

"Stan? Are you ok?"

"Y-yeah, I-I'm fine."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

-.-.-.-.-.

"This is all your fault, Jew," Cartman whined.

For once, Kyle had nothing to say. He frowned as he watched Kenny making out with some senior girl across from him. Stan and Cartman were watching the pair as well. All of them had similar looks of disgust on their faces.

"You created this beast. And now none of us can enjoy our lunches."

Kyle bit his lip and looked down at his food. "Yeah, I know."

"Dude, this is kind of nauseating," Stan commented, tilting his head.

"I'm glad you don't do this with Wendy in front of us," Kyle groaned. He absentmindedly poked at his food with no intention of actually eating any of it.

"Ah, stop it Kenneh! Shit, go find a fucking closet, you poor sick bastard!" Cartman complained loudly. Kyle looked up to see Kenny casually give Cartman the finger over the girl's shoulder. "Hey!" Cartman shouted in response. Kyle frowned, glancing down at where the girl's hands were fumbling in Kenny's lap.

"Whoa dude…" Kyle commented quietly. Stan snorted at him.

"Yeah, something tells me it's not going to stop there," Stan observed.

Kenny growled softly, nipping at the girl's lips playfully before pulling slightly away. "Dudes, you guys are ruining the mood."

"Kenny, why don't you… I don't know, finish somewhere else?" Kyle asked, making another face as he saw where Kenny's hands were.

"Shit, just because you've never gotten this far doesn't mean you should hate," Kenny laughed, winking at him. "Unless you want to join us?"

"No thank you," Kyle deadpanned.

"Come on, Love, let's go someplace a little quieter," Kenny grinned. He zipped up his fly and took her by the hand, leading her out of the cafeteria.

"Shit, I don't know what his problem is," Kyle fumed. "And besides, he was a virgin before this weekend. He doesn't need to rub it in our faces!"

Stan chuckled. "Well, maybe you should use your newfound popularity to find a girlfriend, Kyle."

"Not interested," Kyle scowled, poking at his food. He could feel both sets of eyes look at him, but he didn't offer up any further explanation.

-.-.-.-.-.

"This is awesome."

"Yeah."

They were at Stan's house. They had just started up the PS3, sitting down next to each other on the couch.

"We haven't played this in forever!"

"Hm."

Kyle blinked and glanced to his left, clutching the controller in his hands. "Are you ok, dude?"

"Yeah, I'm cool."

"Okay…"

They continued to play, but Kyle knew that something was definitely wrong. His friend had been acting strangely ever since he met up with him after school, and things hadn't gotten any better. Granted, Stan had been acting weird since Kyle came back from camp, but for some reason, it bothered Kyle more this afternoon than it had in the past. He decided to not push it. Stan would eventually say what was on his mind. He always did.

"Kyle?"

"Yeah?"

Another pause. Kyle swallowed. Was Stan finally going to talk about it?

"… Are you gay?"

Kyle paused the game. He stared at the TV for a moment, took a deep breath, and looked over at Stan. The dark haired boy was staring straight at the TV, and was obviously not planning on looking back at Kyle anytime soon. Stan's awkward posture and tense hands on the controller told Kyle that he had been meaning to ask this for a while.

Kyle considered for a moment. He HAD been planning on telling Stan, but he didn't even think of the possibility of Stan bringing up the subject first. He concluded that it must have been due to lunch earlier that day.

He licked his lips. He shouldn't be worried. This is his best friend.

"Yeah."

Stan didn't react right away. He kept staring at the TV, clinging onto the controller for dear life.

"D-do you like me?"

Kyle was stunned. "W-what?" He definitely wasn't expecting that question.

"Do you like me?" Stan repeated, his voice a little bit more steady.

"I-uh, well…" he stuttered. "I-I guess I never thought…" Wait, stop. Backtrack. Kyle's mind wheeled. He knew Stan could always tell when he was lying. He tried to get out of the awkward situation without revealing too much. "I don't want … to ruin our friendship," he finally concluded.

Stan didn't say anything, so they fell into an uncomfortable silence. Kyle couldn't take it. He hated long silences, especially awkward ones like these. He absentmindedly picked at one of the grooves in the controller, desperately trying to come up with something to say.

"A-are you ok?" he asked quietly.

Stan took a while to answer. "Yeah, I just… it's going to take me a while to process… this."

Kyle nodded slowly, studying his friend nervously. "I'm sorry I… didn't tell you sooner. Before camp, I didn't want anyone to know. I mean, I was just figuring it out myself."

"How could you tell?"

"Well, uh, I was never interested in girls… and… well, yeah."

"Do you look at other guys? Like that?"

What kind of question was that? "Um… I guess, yeah."

"Do you look at ME like that?"

Kyle sighed, putting the controller down on the coffee table. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Shit, Stan, what kind of question is that?"

"Do you?"

"What? Look at you?" Kyle was trying to buy time.

"Do you find me attractive?"

"Stan, I don't really know how to answer that," he nervously chuckled.

Silence.

"I mean… It's not like I don't, but… Shit, I… you're my best friend."

More silence.

"Plus, you're dating Wendy… not that we would date if you weren't! I just mean, you guys were, like, meant for each other. You guys are perfect!"

Nothing.

"Fuck, Stan, I… please say something… anything! Otherwise I'm going to keep rambling and-"

"Shut up."

Kyle quickly shut his mouth, eyes widening. Stan's voice sounded strange. The air felt thick. Kyle waited for what seemed like an eternity for Stan to finally say something. As he waited, he silently cursed himself. He had sounded like an idiot. Not only that, but he probably gave Stan the wrong idea. His stomach twisted with the fear that he had really fucked up this time.

Stan opened his mouth. Kyle caught his breath.

"I wish you never went to that camp."

Kyle blinked. "Huh?"

Stan tossed the controller lightly next to him on the couch, and finally looked over at him. Kyle couldn't read Stan's expression, and that scared the shit out of him. They stared at each other for a moment.

"S-Stan?" Kyle was terrified.

Suddenly, Stan's face twisted into a small frown, but the look in his eyes was a little bit less foreign to Kyle. Kyle watched his friend as a few different expressions flashed across his face: confusion, curiosity, and then finally…

"Stan? Are you ok? You look like you're going to thro-"

"Go." Stan quickly snapped his eyes away from him, standing up.

"What?"

"Go. You make me sick. I can't look at you right now." Without another word, Stan headed upstairs toward his bedroom. A door slammed. Kyle was left alone.

Numb.

Kyle sat for a moment, frozen. It didn't take him long to recover, however. Kyle shakily pulled out his cell phone, snapped it open, and pressed the speed dial. He placed the phone to his ear, waiting. He silently begged the person on the other side to pick up.

"Hello?"

Thank god. Kyle could feel the panic suddenly rise up through his body as the realization hit him that he might have just lost his best friend. He could barely speak.

"Kenny?"


	6. Chapter 6

Stan could only remember a few times that he and Kyle had fought. Each time, they made up quickly. Stan hated fighting with Kyle, and until they made up, he would always get scared that they wouldn't survive their argument. The last time they fought was early middle school. After that incident, Stan swore to himself that he would never get into a fight with Kyle again. He didn't want to risk losing his best friend, especially over some petty argument.

But this time was different. Kyle had left South Park and come back a completely different person. He was suddenly popular. Even Wendy made a comment about how cool Kyle had gotten. Kyle had started a personal war against South Park, and in a way, against everything South Park stood for. Stan loved South Park the way it was, and didn't understand why Kyle felt the way he did. To make matters worse, Stan didn't know who his best friend was anymore.

And now that Kyle was out of the closet? Stan was confused. He was angry. He was disgusted.

He was terrified.

"Go. I can't look at you right now."

Stan could barely keep himself from running up his steps, his stomach lurching. He knew he shouldn't have pushed Kyle away. He knew that Kyle wasn't a threat. But Stan was terrified. Since Kyle had come back, Stan had been unable to look at his best friend the same way again. His red hair made his eyes look like mesmerizing green emeralds. His pants were the perfect fit to not show off too much or too little. His boost of confidence made him more charming.

Stan slammed his bedroom door and sat heavily on his bed. He felt sick. He didn't want to think of his friend that way. He wasn't gay. He loved Wendy. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But… he loved Kyle too. He had shared deep secrets with both of them. He wanted each of them in his life. He didn't want to ever pick one over the other.

When he heard Kyle leave, he let out a shaky sigh of relief. He couldn't deal with this now. He just wanted things to go back to the way they used to be.

He flipped open his phone, and found Wendy in his address book. He nervously grabbed at his comforter and he bounced slightly on the bed, waiting impatiently for her to pick up.

"Hey Stan!" Her voice calmed him some.

"Hey Wendy, can I come over?"

"Sure… Is something wrong? You sound upset."

"I'll tell you when I get there. I'll be there soon."

"Ok, love you."

"Love you too."

He flipped his phone shut. He got up from his bed and looked out the window to make sure that Kyle was gone. He then quickly headed back down the stairs and out the back door, making his way quickly towards Wendy's house. The entire way, Stan replayed the incident over and over in his head, and each time, he felt a familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach.

There was no doubt about it. Stan was confused about his own feelings. He was angry at Kyle for making him feel this way, but also at himself. He was disgusted with the way his eyes automatically roamed over his best friend's body.

He was terrified that he was in the closet.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Ok, what the hell is wrong with you?"

They were sitting at the coffee shop. Stan had gone over to Wendy's, and together they decided to go sit somewhere to talk. Stan hadn't said a word about his incident with Kyle yet, and Wendy had held back her questioning. However, she was never an incredibly patient person.

Stan didn't really know how much he wanted to tell her. He certainly didn't want to talk to her about his sudden attraction to his best friend, mostly because he knew that it would upset her. He didn't want to jeopardize his relationship with Wendy. However, he knew he had to tell her about the fight. She would find out eventually anyway.

"I… was hanging out with Kyle. He and I… got into a fight."

Wendy nodded thoughtfully, staying quiet so that he could continue.

"I don't know what's wrong with me. Today at lunch, he made a comment about not being interested in dating any girls. This afternoon, I directly asked him if he was gay. He said he was. I… got kind of upset. I mean, he's known for a while, and didn't tell me. Plus, I asked something I didn't really want to know the answer to."

"What was that?" she asked quietly, her voice gentle.

"I asked him if he was attracted to me, and he gave me a copout answer. I could tell that he was." Stan swallowed, glancing up at his girlfriend to gage her reaction. She didn't seem upset, so he continued. "He asked me if I was mad, and I told him I didn't know… then…. He was really nervous and started rambling. I just got so… mad."

Wendy continued to nod encouragingly.

"I… I don't know. I don't know who the fuck he is anymore! I mean, he went off to camp, basically wrote me off for over a month, and then comes back, expecting me to understand! He's completely different. It's like he turned his back on South Park… on me. Like being friends with me wasn't good enough. He was miserable before he left, and then suddenly at the camp he's happier. He was happier at the camp than he was here with us. I… I don't know how he could be my best friend and still feel that way."

Stan huffed in frustration, taking a sip of his coffee. It felt good to finally talk about his feelings with someone else. He normally didn't talk about his feelings too much, even with Wendy. However, now that it was off his chest, he felt like he could think more clearly than he did before.

Wendy waited a moment to make sure he was done. Then, she smiled warmly at him. "Stan?"

"Yeah?" Stan raised his eyes to look back at her.

"I'm glad that you decided to share this with me."

He smiled weakly at her, nodding. "You're a wonderful listener."

"Thanks." She sighed. "Do you want to know what I think?"

"Sure. I could use some advice."

"I think you should be telling Kyle all of this."

Stan shook his head, putting his coffee mug down sharply on the table.

"You know I'm right."

"Kyle and I don't talk like that."

"Well, you should start. Kyle can be a good listener too, you know."

"Guys… don't talk like that, Wendy. That's a girl thing."

"Kyle and I had a wonderful conversation last year, actually. He is very capable of talking about his feelings, and I KNOW that he would be more than happy to discuss yours with you. You guys are best friends."

Stan scrunched his nose. "What did you guys talk about?"

Wendy laughed softly, tucking a strand of her long hair behind her ear. "Many things. It was nothing bad, Stan, but I don't feel comfortable talking about it. However, it made me realize more than ever that Kyle is a wonderful person. He cares a lot for you, and I know you care about him too."

Stan didn't want to think about how much he cared for Kyle.

"Besides," she continued, "who cares if he's gay, or that he finds you attractive? Most people in the school find you attractive, Stan. I'm sure that nothing will come out of it. It's not like he's going to suddenly start hitting on you, or try to rape you when you're alone."

"I-I know that…"

"It's not like I don't sympathize with you. I can understand how you can feel betrayed by his attitude and feel uncomfortable with the knowledge that he finds you attractive. Your feelings are just, Stan, and you have every right to feel that way. It's not like you can control what you feel. But, I still think that you should talk to Kyle about this. You'll resolve all these feelings much more quickly, and you can go back to being best friends again."

Stan stared at his girlfriend, his chest tightening. "Wendy?"

"Yeah?"

"You're the best."

She smiled. "I know," she replied in a teasing tone. She leaned forward and Stan pecked her softly on the lips.

-.-.-.-.-.

But no matter how encouraging Wendy was, it was still hard for Stan to imagine approaching Kyle. He had a lot of things to work out on his own. Plus, he was never one who enjoyed conflict, especially when it involved Kyle. He didn't know how to bring up the issues, nor did he really know what he would say.

When he returned to his house that night, his parents yelled at him to not leave his video games running.

"Seriously, Stanley, I thought you knew better!" his mother, Sharon, chastised.

"Sorry, Mom," he mumbled. "I forgot it was on. I'll be more careful next time."

"It's ok, hon."

"Where were you?" his father asked.

"I went to the coffee shop with Wendy."

They chatted idly as they prepared to sit down for supper. Stan didn't have much of an appetite, but forced the food into his mouth anyway. He excused himself quickly after he finished eating, so that he could try to figure out exactly how to talk to Kyle the next morning.

Unfortunately, he didn't figure anything out at all. The only thing he gained was a night of restless sleep and a sudden need to run to the toilet whenever he thought too hard. The next morning, he contemplated faking illness so that he could skip school, but knew that sitting in bed all day wouldn't help the situation.

He walked slowly to the bus stop. He was happy when he saw that Kenny was the first and only one there.

"Hey Kenny," he greeted, falling into his usual place.

"Hey Stan," Kenny replied, glancing at him knowingly. Stan shifted.

"What?"

"I know about your fight with Kyle yesterday."

"Oh."

"You guys aren't going to fight long, are you? I mean, the last time you fought you didn't talk for almost an entire month, and that was just annoying as hell."

Stan shrugged, not really knowing the answer. Kenny sighed.

"Well, if you need to vent, I'm here. You know I'll never pick sides."

"Thanks, Kenny," Stan smiled, honestly feeling comforted by Kenny's support.

Cartman joined them next, falling into his usual place between the two. "What's up, Fags?"

Stan glared at him.

"Not much," Kenny replied cheerfully.

"Why do you have to be so annoying? And what's with that outfit?"

"The girls love it, Cartman. Don't you think my ass looks damn hot?" Kenny shook his ass in Cartman's direction, and the larger boy made a sound of disgust.

Stan studied Kenny's shaking butt thoughtfully. He didn't feel any sort of attraction to Kenny at all, and that wasn't because Kenny was lacking in looks. The girls obviously loved him, and Stan could objectively see that Kenny was an attractive guy. However, the thought of sleeping with Kenny, or seeing him in any sort of sexual situation at all, made Stan feel sick, and not in the way he felt sick around Kyle.

Kenny and Cartman continued to bicker as they waited for the bus. Stan remained quiet, wondering when Kyle would show up. His friend finally came a few minutes before the bus was scheduled to arrive. He ran up, his hair a slight mess and his cheeks flushed.

"Shit!" he breathed, "Glad I made it."

"Hey Kyle!" Kenny greeted.

"Jew."

"Hey guys," Kyle smiled. His smile faltered when he looked at Stan. "H-hey Stan."

Stan felt sick. He didn't know what to say to Kyle. He knew that he should at the very least apologize. It wasn't like they had to talk about what happened. But he knew that if he told Kyle he was sorry, things would eventually smooth over. He also knew that both of them would feel better about the whole incident.

However, for some reason, Stan was at a loss for words. He knew what he needed to say, but for some reason, all he could choke out of his throat was a simple "Hey."


	7. Chapter 7

Kenny couldn't have been happier. He was making a bunch of new friends at school, he lost his virginity and a dry spell was nowhere in sight, and for once in his life, Kenny felt like things were looking up. His social schedule was off the charts, and it was difficult to keep track of all of his promised engagements. In addition, Kenny decided that he, like Kyle, would find a part time job. He could earn some money, and maybe even save enough to get his own place after high school. Kenny felt that nothing could stop him. Yet he was practical enough to accept the fact that he probably wouldn't be able to go to college; at least, not right out of high school.

Despite all of the things going on in Kenny's life, he was still aware of the problems his friends were having. He knew that Stan was having a difficult time accepting Kyle's change, and was struggling with the fact that Kyle had grown much more attractive in the few months he had been away. He was also aware that Cartman had his own conflictions about Kyle's change, along with Kenny's. He knew that Cartman had been disappointed that Kenny didn't hang out with him all weekend, and had even ditched him on their usual Friday night together.

Kenny figured that since Stan and Kyle were having some necessary one-on-one time that Monday afternoon, he and Cartman could spend some time together too. Without inviting himself over, he went to Cartman's house after school. Cartman predictably complained about not letting him know that he was coming over, but Kenny knew that his friend was happy for the company.

They had put in a movie while Cartman's mom constantly fed them various snacks. Out of the blue, Kenny's phone rang. He wondered who it was. He had told his girlfriend that he was busy that afternoon, and his parents never called him. He pulled his phone from his pocket, and was surprised to see it was Kyle.

There wasn't a moment's pause after he answered the phone before he heard Kyle's weak voice. "Kenny?"

He was shocked at the broken voice on the other line. "Kyle? What happened? Where are you?" Cartman straightened up, his brows furrowed as he looked at Kenny.

"Stan's…"

"What's wrong?"

"I… Stan and I had a fight…"

"Ok, why don't you come over? I'm at Cartman's now."

Kenny half expected Kyle to complain, but he simply said, "K, I'll be over in a second."

"What's going on?" Cartman demanded when Kenny hung up the phone. Kenny could detect a hint of concern in his voice, but Cartman tried to act nonchalant. Kenny decided now was not the time to tease him about this.

"Kyle had a fight with Stan, so he's coming over. He sounds pretty upset."

"Whatever." Cartman turned his attention back to the television. Kenny rolled his eyes. Cartman always tried to pretend that he didn't care, especially when it came to Kyle. Kenny knew his best friend better than that.

When Kenny heard Kyle's wild knocking, he got up to answer the door. Cartman muttered something about it not being Kenny's house, but Kenny ignored him as he swung the door open.

"I can't believe this!" Kyle shouted practically in Kenny's face, storming past him in a fit of rage. Kenny was taken aback, expecting Kyle to be a bit more on the sad side of the upset spectrum.

"Um, hi to you too."

"Argh! What an asshole! I mean, what a complete and utter asshole!" Kyle continued, unfazed by Kenny's sarcastic comment. He paced angrily between Kenny and Cartman, the latter of which had followed Kenny halfway to the front door. "I just can't fucking believe him! He's supposed to be my best friend! He's supposed to understand! He's supposed to NOT be such a huge douche bag!"

Kenny ran his fingers through his hair, watching Kyle rage between himself and Cartman. Kenny glanced at Cartman, who was eying the angry red-head with a look of interest. Kenny sighed. It was up to him to calm Kyle down.

"Um, Kyle? Kyle. Earth to- Hey!" Kenny grabbed a hold of Kyle's shoulders, and was momentarily surprised to feel them shaking. Kyle looked up at him, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger and betrayal, his cheeks flushed. Kenny sighed, giving Kyle a long look. "Let's go sit down, calm down, and talk about what happened, ok? Come on, over here…" He gently led his friend to the couch. Kyle numbly sat down in the center, and Kenny sat down next to him. Cartman decided to hover in the background.

"Ok, so what the hell happened? Start from the top," Kenny encouraged.

Kyle swallowed, and glanced suspiciously over at Cartman. Kenny could tell that he was internally judging how much information he should provide around his enemy. Kenny waited patiently.

Suddenly, a determined look came across Kyle's face. Kenny blinked, once again surprised.

"Stan and I were hanging out. We started to play some video games, and I thought we were having fun. However, I could tell that he was distracted. He suddenly asked if I was gay."

Silence. Kenny stared at his friend, sensing the tension coming from Eric. Hell, he was tense himself.

"What did you say?" he asked softly.

"Well… I told him the truth."

More silence. Kenny held his breath.

"T-that I am."

Kenny's ears practically rang after that statement. He wasn't sure if he should be celebrating that his friend had finally come out of the closet or kicking Stan's ass for whatever the hell he did to screw this moment up.

"What did he say?" he finally questioned.

"Well… he got kind of weird, and then asked if I liked him… like that. I told him that… I didn't think of him like that, and that we were best friends! I mean, shit, this is Stan! So… he kind of started to freak out, and started asking me all these difficult questions. Finally, he asked if I thought he was attractive, and…" Kyle nervously glanced over at Cartman again before continuing. "I didn't really know what to say. I was totally unprepared for him to ask me that. I told him that he's my best friend, and dating Wendy," Kenny inwardly winced, "and I couldn't stop myself from rambling, and finally he just told me to shut up. He then said that he wished I never went to that camp, told me to leave, and ran up to his room. H-he said that he… that he couldn't look at me. He said… he said that I make him sick."

Kenny waited a moment to let Kyle's words process. He also realized that Cartman had been dead silent since Kyle had arrived. He filed that little tidbit of information away, promising himself to return to it later.

"Y-you don't hate me, do you?" Kyle asked, looking at Kenny.

"For fucks sake, Kyle, no way. Stan was just being… I don't know. Retarded. Who cares if you like guys or not? Look, Stan has been acting weird ever since you came back from camp. He doesn't react well to change. I'm sure that he'll get over it eventually, but it is going to take him longer than most."

Kyle nodded as Kenny talked. "Yeah, yeah… maybe you're right."

Kenny took this moment to glance over at Cartman. He was standing off to the side, his arms crossed over his chest and a strange look on his face. When he saw Kenny was looking at him, he quickly looked away from them, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

"What should I do when I see him tomorrow?" Kyle asked softly. Kenny looked back at his friend.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know. You're going to have to wing it. I doubt that he's going to give you the silent treatment, or completely avoid you. However, I also don't think he's going to apologize right away. I think he has a lot of things to work through. And… well, you know Stan."

"Yeah."

The three fell silent for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts. Kyle bit his lip, glancing over at Cartman.

"Nothing to say? No gay jokes?" Kyle looked genuinely surprised, keeping his gaze fixed on the larger boy.

Cartman shifted uncomfortably. "…Maybe later."

-.-.-.-.-.

The next morning, Kenny got out to the bus stop early so that he could talk to Stan a bit before the others arrived. Unfortunately, Cartman had arrived just after Stan, so their talk couldn't continue. However, Kenny vowed to himself that if Stan still had a stick up his ass tomorrow, he'd talk some sense into him or die trying.

He preferred the former over the latter, however. It had been a few weeks since his last death, and he didn't want to break his living streak.

When Kyle had attempted to greet Stan, Kenny was more than a bit worried. He knew that Stan had difficulty with confrontation, and he wasn't sure if he would be able to respond or not. He was relieved, however, when Stan offered a meek greeting.

"Hey."

It wasn't much, but Kenny could tell that it relieved Kyle. However, the moment was quickly lost as the bus screeched to a stop in front of them. Stan quickly led the way inside, obviously trying to escape the uncomfortable situation. Kenny wasn't too surprised when Stan sat next to Butters. Kyle's face flashed with betrayal, but then hardened as he quickly found his way to his regular seat. Kenny wasn't sure, but he swore he heard a low growl behind him.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Hey, guys. Have you seen Bebe?" Kenny asked, sitting down at the lunch table in his usual place. Kyle and Cartman were already there, eating in awkward silence.

Kyle nodded. "Yeah, I saw her between first and second period."

"Huh?" Cartman asked. "You know I don't pay attention to that bitch."

"She's the hottest bitch in school," Kenny pointed out. "How can you NOT pay attention to her?"

"Bitches aren't worth the effort."

"Whatever. She's, like, ten times more hot now, though. Look, here she comes!"

The lunch room was eerily quiet as Bebe walked in. She was wearing a cute plaid skirt and a tight pink shirt, chatting with her friends. Kenny tried not to drool. She looked amazing.

"What? She wanted to join your pussy club?" Cartman grumbled, watching Bebe as well.

"I guess you really started something, Kyle."

Kyle sighed. "Yeah, maybe. She looks nice."

"She looks fucking HOT. Shit, I'd hit that," Kenny muttered. He remained a bit distracted as he ate, keeping his eyes on Bebe. After a while, though, he noticed someone was missing. "Wait… where's Stan?"

Kyle shrugged, not answering. Cartman snorted. "Stan's being an ass. He walked right by us and sat down with that ugly thing he calls his girlfriend."

Kenny looked over to where Wendy always sat with her friends, and sure enough, Stan was sitting besides her, picking at his food and not looking up. Kenny scowled. "What the hell?"

"Yeah, he hasn't said a word to me all day," Kyle sighed.

"Have you tried talking to him?"

"Yeah, he just runs away." Kyle bit his lip. "I hate fighting with him."

Cartman growled. "Whatever, he's a prick."

Kyle frowned, glancing at Cartman with a strange expression, but he didn't reply.

"I'm sure he'll come around, Kyle. You guys are best friends. He's just… being Stan. Give him some time," Kenny encouraged.

"What if he never gets over it? I mean, I don't know why he freaked out. Is it because I'm gay? Or because I went to that camp? Or because I changed my clothes? I don't get it."

"He'll get over it," Kenny promised firmly. "We've all been through way too much for him to just ditch."

Kyle nodded, but he didn't look too convinced. "It doesn't bother you guys, does it? That I'm… gay."

Before Kenny could answer, Cartman quickly interjected, "Jew, I've been calling you gay since elementary. It doesn't surprise me."

"Hey!"

"Just saying. So it's no big deal. Stan needs to just get over himself and just admit he thinks you're hot."

Kyle stuttered, his cheeks turning pink. "H-he doesn't think that!"

"Why do you think he's avoiding you?"

"That's not why."

It was Kenny's turn to cut off Cartman's reply. "Kyle, we don't care that you're gay. You're our friend. I think Stan doesn't care either. It's just that he's been weird since you've come back."

"True."

"So stop worrying about it. You've got us. We've got your back, and in a pinch, Stan has yours as well. I'm sure by next week you guys will be back to how you always were."

Kenny hoped that he was right.

-.-.-.-.-.

"What the fuck, Stan?"

Kenny had finally cornered Stan in the hallway that Friday. Stan had begun to completely avoid the group, and Kenny knew that he had to try to do something about it. Kyle wasn't as confident because of it, and always looked distracted. Their group dynamic was completely off-balance. Stan was missed, and Kenny was going to try his best to get him back.

Stan closed his locker. "What?"

"You know what, Stan. What the hell, where have you been? How long are you planning on fighting with Kyle?"

"It's complicated, Kenny. Don't get involved."

"But I AM involved. You haven't sat with us all week."

"Well, maybe I should be sitting by my girlfriend anyway."

"Um, no. You always sit with us. You're just trying to avoid Kyle."

"So what if I am?"

"You know that doing that is a huge mistake."

"I can't be near him right now."

"You're acting like such a girl."

"Screw you."

"So what gives? Scared that you might be attracted to him?"

Kenny regretted it the moment he said it. Not a second after it slipped past his lips, he had been shoved back against the lockers by an angry Stan. Before anything else happened, however, Stan quickly stormed down the hallway.

Kyle, unfortunately, was walking with Cartman and they were coming down the same hall that Stan was storming up. Kenny straightened up, hearing Kyle greet Stan.

"Hey Stan…"

"Don't talk to me, fag."

Kyle looked like he had been punched in the stomach. He froze, shocked at Stan's biting words. Cartman looked just as taken aback, watching Stan storm past them down the hall. Kenny quickly ran up to them, noticing the look on both of their faces.

Cartman growled. "I'm going to kill that so-"

"Stop, not now Cartman." Kenny grabbed his arm, holding him back from following Stan down the hallway. "Shit, Kyle, are you ok? It's my fault, I confronted him. I'm sure he didn't mean it…" Kenny rambled, worried about Kyle's reaction to Stan's words.

"Save it, Kenny," Kyle muttered softly. "It… it's fine. He's… just angry. That's all." Kyle's face looked pale, but he tried to cover up his hurt by forcing a smile on his face.

"Sorry, Kyle," Kenny muttered, feeling like shit.

Kyle nodded. "I-it's cool. It's not like I've never been called that before. I'm going to head to class; otherwise, I'll be late."

"Ok… Want to hang out after school?"

"I have to work tonight, so I can't. But tomorrow I don't work until the afternoon."

"Cool. I'll call you tomorrow morning, then."

"K. See you guys later!" Kyle escaped quickly, his head lowered to watch his feet as he raced to his class.

Kenny waved at his friend as he hurried down the hallway. Kenny was angry at the way Stan was acting, and couldn't understand why he was being so distant from the group. They had all been through so much – why was he willing to throw it all away all of a sudden? Couldn't Stan see what he was doing to Kyle? The whole situation angered Kenny, and he vowed silently as he watched Kyle's retreating figure that he would somehow figure out a way to fix this mess.

The situation had become personal.


	8. Chapter 8

Eric loved being the center of attention. Throughout the years, he had determined that the best way to do so was to be an asshole. To everyone. It was a fail-proof plan, really. It also served his other desire to promote himself as a heartless bastard, who wasn't hurt by the constant insults flung his way each and every day. However, as of late he felt uncomfortable with himself. After his breakdown in front of Kyle the previous weekend, he felt a bit awkward around his nemesis. He wasn't sure if he should continue to be a complete asshole or to act differently than before. Kyle had broken their boundaries by admitting that he considered Cartman a friend. In some weird unexplainable way, Eric felt as if he could be a little more trusting in the Jew. Also, he wasn't sure he wanted to push Kyle away. The thought of having someone willing to say that they were his friend was comforting. Even Kenny never admitted to being a friend to Eric. Cartman often pretended that this didn't bother him.

To make things worse, Kyle and Stan were fighting. Usually, Cartman would use this opportunity to rip on Kyle relentlessly, basking in the knowledge that Kyle felt like shit. However, for some reason it bothered Cartman that someone else had the power to make Kyle feel miserable.

If anyone was going to torment the Jew, it would be Cartman.

"K. See you guys later!"

Kenny sighed. "Shit."

"What the fuck did you say to him?" Cartman asked, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning slightly.

"Well, I was demanding why he was acting like such a girl, and then I accused him of being attracted to Kyle."

Cartman snorted. "That probably wouldn't be far from the truth."

"Yeah, but it was definitely not the right thing to say. He was pissed." They started walking toward their next classes.

"Of course it pissed him off – he's stuck in the closet so far that he'll probably never find his way out."

Kenny sighed again, obviously exasperated. "I don't know what the fuck is wrong with him."

"Screw that asshole."

"It's not that easy to write someone off like that."

"Yes it is."

Kenny rolled his eyes. "You know it isn't."

"Whatever. Later, poor boy." They had reached Cartman's classroom first.

"Bye Fatass." Kenny quickly retreated down the hallway.

"Hey! I'm not fat!" Cartman shouted, his voice echoing down the hallway. "Fucking asshole," he muttered, entering the classroom and preparing himself for a long day.

-.-.-.-.-.

He wasn't sure why he came here. In fact, he was pretty sure it was a bad idea. It was possibly the worst idea he had ever had. He shoved his hands in his coat pockets, anxiously rocking on the balls of his feet as he considered his options. He should just leave. He should go back home, sit on the couch, and eat some Cheesy Poofs. Every nerve in his body warned him to turn back.

Yet there was a part of him telling him to just suck it up and go inside.

He huffed loudly, considering his options one more time before shaking his head. No. Even though this went against every rule he had created back in preschool, he knew that it was time to try something new. He was pretty sure that it would blow up in his face; however, he was willing to give it a shot, just this once.

He silently cursed himself for being so nervous about entering a stupid video store. He pushed the door open, hearing the bell clink as he entered cautiously. He immediately spotted Kyle. The other boy was on the opposite side of the counter, leaning over it and reading a magazine. He had his cheek resting in his palm as he casually flipped the pages, glancing up at the sound of the bell. Cartman could tell that he was surprised to see Cartman there.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Hey Jew."

Kyle blinked a few moments, obviously still soaking in the fact that Cartman was there. "Hey. What brings you here?"

Damnit, why did the Jew have to be so nosey?

"Because I felt like it, that's why."

Kyle stared at him for another second before grinning. This time it was Cartman's turn to be surprised. "Cool! My manager left me alone today for the first time, and I'm bored out of my fucking mind."

Cartman raised an elbow, coming closer to the counter and leaning casually on it. Was Kyle actually happy to see him? "Not too many people come in here, I take it?"

"No, not really. Did you ever see other people in here whenever we'd come to rent movies?"

"That's probably because people have better things to do with their time than rent movies."

Kyle laughed. "This is South Park, Cartman. No one has better things to do, except drink. I think it's because the selection is shit."

Cartman snorted in response. "That's true. Most of the movies here suck."

"Yep. So I've been killing time by reading this magazine I brought."

"I'm surprised you're not doing homework."

Kyle shrugged. "I'm too preoccupied with this whole Stan fiasco to focus on school. Besides, even if I don't do it this weekend, it's not like it's going to hurt my grades that much."

"You have no idea how weird it is for you to say that."

"What, admitting to you that I'm having a hard time with something or that I'm not doing homework?"

"Both."

Kyle smiled, and Cartman nervously looked away. He wasn't used to Kyle responding that way when he said something. It made him feel strange and awkward at the same time.

"Here, check out this article I've been reading about the sequel to Dragon Age. It looks sweet." Kyle turned the magazine so that Cartman could look at it. "I wasn't really digging the whole idea of not being able to create your own character, but it looks like it will still be fun. Plus, you get to customize him a bit, which is cool. You can even play as a girl. I'm starting to get excited about it."

"These screen caps look cool…" Cartman mused, reading over the article. Kyle crossed his arms and settled his chin on top of them, allowing Cartman to read. They stayed silent while Cartman studied the review. "I don't know," he said after reading the article. "These reviews can sometimes make me expect too much from a game, and when I actually play it, I feel let down."

"Shit, I know what you mean!" Kyle raised his head from where it was resting on his arms. "I've been disappointed a lot with games lately. But this one looks pretty promising. I don't know. I think I'm going to try to not to get my hopes up too much, but… I really did enjoy the last one."

"Yeah, that game was pretty sweet. I didn't like how you had to get people to like you to get bonuses and shit. And I hated it when they'd leave your party if you pissed them off too much."

"Well, in this one you can piss them off as much as you want," Kyle laughed. "See?" He leaned forward, flipping the page. Cartman could faintly smell fabric softener and strawberries. "Look. It says you don't have to worry about approval ratings as much in this version."

"What? So I can treat people like shit and they'll still stick around?"

"Sounds like it."

"Sweet."

Kyle snorted. "If only real life was like that."

"Real life is like that. You guys stuck around me all this time."

Kyle shrugged, brushing his hair out of his face. "More like you stuck around with us," he replied, glancing at Cartman with a playful smirk.

"Whatever," Cartman muttered. "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."

"So does that mean we're your friends or your enemies?" Kyle asked, an innocent look flashing across his face.

"Why don't you figure it out yourself?"

Kyle studied him with a thoughtful look, and Cartman stared back at him, his eyebrow quirked. However, they continued to stare at each other for a long moment, which made Cartman rather uncomfortable. He had always avoided looking people directly in the eyes for long periods of time, mostly because he didn't want them to figure out what he was thinking or feeling. Moreover, it made him feel awkward being around Kyle, especially after last weekend. They hadn't talked about it, and Cartman was thankful for that. However, Cartman wasn't able to judge where they stood with each other anymore. Something had definitely changed with their relationship, and Cartman was still trying to figure out the new rules and whether he would play by them or not.

Kyle bit his lower lip as a slow smile crept on his face. He then broke their stare, looking away while shaking his head slightly. Cartman was thankful the awkward moment had passed. He swallowed, vaguely wondering why his throat felt so dry.

Kyle straightened up, grabbing the magazine from the counter and tossing it in his bag. He then made his way around the counter. "Let's put in a movie or something. What do you want to watch?"

"Something not lame."

"That might be hard to find in here."

"Whatever, you were the one who picked this place to work."

"It seemed easy enough; plus, I figured I could do homework when it was slow. I didn't realize it was THIS slow." He wandered the comedy section, considering the titles on the shelves with a small frown on his face. "Help me, Cartman."

Cartman snorted. "How about porn?"

Kyle sighed, turning around to look at him from across the store. "I have a feeling we like completely different things in that area, Cartman. Besides, what if a customer walks in?"

"Why do you always have to be such a pussy?"

"I'm not being a pussy. I just want to keep my job is all."

"Pussy."

Cartman could faintly hear the low growl that escaped Kyle's throat. "Am not. Well, if we end up putting in a porno, we have to pick something good."

"What defines good?"

"Something I'd like."

"Hell no."

"Hell yes. Either we watch that or no porno."

"That's fucking lame."

Kyle shrugged, turning back to the shelves. Cartman hated it when Kyle won their arguments. He loudly sighed and finally joined Kyle by the comedy section.

"Fine, you stupid Jew, have it your way."

Kyle glanced at him, smirking a bit, but luckily didn't rub it in. After searching for a few more moments, Kyle finally suggested, "How about Team America?"

"Fuck yeah."

Kyle grinned, snatching the DVD from the shelves.

"This isn't really a big step below porn."

"Yeah, but it's enough."

"I still think you're a pussy."

"I'm much less of a pussy than you think."

As Cartman tried to figure out what the hell that meant, Kyle quickly placed the DVD in the store's DVD player. After messing around with the controls for a few seconds, the TVs throughout the store started playing the movie. Kyle gracefully put his hands behind him on the counter and hopped up so that he could sit. He flashed a grin over in Cartman's direction.

"Care to join me?"

Cartman came up to the counter, and it took him a couple of tries to get up. He felt a bit embarrassed, but Kyle thankfully didn't comment.

-.-.-.-.-.

It didn't take them long to decide it was a good idea to steal a bag of popcorn, pop it in the microwave in the break room, and begin eating. After that, it was only a matter of time before they opened up a soda each and shared a bag of Twizzlers. When it was time to close up, Kyle locked the front door and turned off the lights, but they continued to watch the movie. They had moved to the floor, their backs to the counter and legs splayed before them.

"I can't believe no one came in tonight," Kyle mused.

"Yeah, you would have been so bored if I hadn't come along."

"Whatever. I wouldn't have stolen this stuff if you weren't here."

Cartman snorted. "You would have broken down eventually. Besides, someone has to eat all of this food."

"Still." Kyle took a swig of his soda. "I would have put up a better fight if it wasn't for you."

"Bitch bitch bitch. That's all you do."

"I'm glad you came, though. I think I would have gone insane, otherwise."

Cartman almost choked on his own soda. "What is with you lately?" he exclaimed without thinking.

"What?"

"Nevermind."

Kyle glanced at him, and Cartman could feel his stare even in the dark. It only took Kyle a moment to realize what he had meant. "Oh."

Cartman didn't say anything, but instead kept his eyes glued on the screen in front of them.

"I don't know. I just… realized that it's stupid to pretend that I hate you, when I clearly don't."

"You pretended pretty well."

Kyle snorted. "So did you, but I didn't completely fall for it. And neither did you for that matter."

Cartman didn't reply, so they fell into silence for a few moments. Cartman continued to stare at the screen, but he wasn't paying attention to the movie anymore. Instead, he felt strangely aware of Kyle's presence and the deafening silence stretching between them.

He wasn't sure why he said it. It was probably because it was dark, and they were alone. Or that Kyle was fighting with Stan, and Eric felt bad about it. It could have also been because they had been getting along strangely well as of late, or more likely, the fact that Cartman was tired of pretending, and felt like he could trust Kyle, at least just this once. The only thing he was sure of was that he was willing to take this chance. His voice sounded strangely small when he finally spoke.

"I… really don't hate you."

Kyle remained silent, and Cartman knew instinctively that it was because Kyle knew that he wasn't finished with his quiet confession. Cartman took a shaky breath in before continuing.

"I just don't… I've always… It's just…." He sighed, exasperated. He couldn't say the words, not that he knew what he wanted to say in the first place.

"I know." Kyle quietly encouraged.

"Do you?"

Cartman could see Kyle nod his head out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah. I do. Because… I feel the same way."

Cartman wasn't exactly sure what Kyle was saying, considering Cartman had no idea how he felt about the situation. "Care to enlighten me?"

Kyle chuckled softly. "Why don't you figure it out yourself?" he responded quietly but playfully.

"Hey! Don't use my own words against me."

"Can't help it. It's just so easy to. Oh! I love this song!"

With that, the tension had subsided. Although Cartman still felt confused, he knew that he wasn't alone and that somehow made him feel better about the whole situation.


	9. Chapter 9

Kyle wasn't really sure what was going on, and that made him more than a bit nervous.

He didn't know what the hell Stan was doing, and he was scared that he had forever lost his best friend. The last time they had a big fight Kyle knew exactly why they were fighting. But this time, he wasn't so sure. The confession about his sexuality had triggered the current situation, but Kyle knew that they had been on rocky ground since he had come back from camp. And no matter how much Kenny and Cartman tried to tell him otherwise, Kyle refused to believe that Stan was having issues about his own sexuality. Kyle knew for a fact that Stan was straight, and no one could convince him otherwise.

He wasn't sure why Kenny seemed to be able to act as if nothing was wrong. Sure, Kenny was obviously affected by the whole situation, but he was definitely distracted. He was practically going nuts with all the attention he was getting from girls, and he had turned into a sex-crazed fiend. Kyle certainly wasn't angry at his friend, but he was still baffled that despite the situation, he was still able to ditch the group for the whole weekend for some girls. Kyle figured that it distracted Kenny from his problems.

And then there was the whole deal with Cartman. It wasn't that he couldn't figure Cartman out. In fact, he probably knew Cartman better than he knew Stan, which was a disturbing thought. No. Kyle couldn't figure out…

Well, he didn't really want to think about it.

"Can't help it. It's just so easy to. Oh! I love this song!"

Kyle grinned and started singing along with the song, and Cartman soon joined in, not one to miss out on a chance at singing. Kyle was relieved. Although Kyle was now trying to be honest about whom he was and how he felt, he didn't want to continue his conversation with Cartman. It wasn't as if he was that uncomfortable with the subject matter. Ok, maybe he was. But it was more the fact that there really wasn't much to talk about. Kyle had no idea what the hell their relationship was turning into. It was still new, and there was no way for them to find out except to just see where it went. Kyle also knew that Cartman was just as unsure, uneasy, and weary about the situation as he was. They were both confused, and Kyle didn't see the point of discussing this confusion.

Ok, that was bullshit and Kyle knew it. But he didn't want to start analyzing the butterflies in his stomach, or the playful banter that resembled flirting that he now had between Cartman and himself.

No. He definitely wasn't going to think about it.

"God, I love this movie!" Cartman sighed happy after the song concluded, and Kyle grinned over at him.

"Me too. This was definitely a good pick."

"I'm glad I picked this movie."

"I'M the one who picked the movie."

"You can choose to believe that if you want."

Kyle huffed and rolled his eyes, glancing at Cartman. He could faintly see a small smile playing on the larger boy's lips, which caused him to smile a bit himself before looking back at the screen.

-.-.-.-.-.

Before he knew it, it was Monday again. Kyle kicked at the ground absentmindedly. He had gotten to their usual bus stop earlier than usual, but he wasn't really sure why. Luckily, he wasn't alone for too long, because Kenny showed up a few minutes later.

"Hey Dude."

"Hey Kyle. What's up?"

"Not much. Have a good weekend?"

Kenny grinned, rocking back on his heels happily. "Why yes, yes I did, thank you very much."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Thanks for ditching me and Cartman all weekend."

"My pleasure. I'll make it up to you."

Kyle knew that Kenny had just apologized, in his own way. Kyle had already forgiven him. "You better."

"If you want, I'll let you give me a blowjob."

"Not in a million years."

"Aw, you're no fun."

"Do you think Stan will talk to us today?"

"Maybe if you give HIM a blowjob."

Kyle rolled his eyes again. "I doubt that would help the situation."

"You never know."

"Hey, douche bags," Cartman greeted, walking up to them. Kyle couldn't help but smile when he saw him. It was a small change, but Kyle couldn't help but feel happy about it.

"Hey Fatass," he responded.

Cartman wasn't wearing his hat.

-.-.-.-.-.

"What. The. Fuck."

The three of them stared ahead, all three wearing the same shocked expression. None of them spoke for a few moments after Cartman's uttered words of astonishment.

Finally, Kenny muttered, "Maybe this was inevitable."

"Why do you say that?" Kyle questioned softly, barely paying attention to Kenny as he stared at a student walk past him.

"Well, think about how popular you were, Kyle. And then when I changed, I was suddenly popular. Then Bebe. Who doesn't want that kind of popularity?"

"All those people look just as faggy as both of you," Cartman grumbled, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets.

Kyle pursed his lips. They had noticed one student on the bus had changed his wardrobe completely, but when they got off the bus, they were shocked to find that quite a few people had made the exact same decision. It wasn't as if half the school had changed, but it still took the boys aback a bit to see the handful of students who had chosen the same weekend to get makeovers.

Before, Kyle would have thought that he would be happy about the possibility of more people changing the way they looked. However, Kyle had a suspicious feeling that the changes were for the wrong reasons.

"This better not cock-block me," Kenny grumbled, leading the way forward into the school.

Kyle and Cartman quietly followed. Kyle couldn't shake the sense of uneasiness that had suddenly crept up his spine.

-.-.-.-.-.

As Kyle walked down the hall to his second class of the day, he accidently bumped into another boy he didn't know. He quickly began to apologize when the boy growled at him.

"Stupid fag, get out of the way." With that, the other student continued walking down the hall.

Kyle gaped after him, stunned that he had been talked to like that by a stranger, but he didn't think too much of it. It was impossible for someone he had never met to know that he was gay.

Right?

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle munched on a carrot thoughtfully as he stared at Stan from across the cafeteria. The week seemed to be passing slowly, and Kyle couldn't believe that it was only Thursday. He felt like it should be the weekend already. Nothing had really changed, save a couple of more makeovers. Stan was still being evasive and refusing to talk to anyone in their group, and Kenny was… well. Kenny hadn't shown up for lunch all week.

"Stop staring at him like a kicked, lost puppy," Cartman grumbled crankily, taking a bite of his burger.

"I can't help it. This whole situation sucks."

"Fuck him."

"No thank you."

"What's so great about Stan anyway?"

Kyle lifted one eyebrow, looking at Cartman across the lunch table. "Jealous?"

"No. I just don't understand what you see in that douche."

Kyle sighed, popping the rest of his carrot piece in his mouth. "Lately I've been wondering the same thing myself."

"Forget about him. You've done nothing wrong. He's the one with the stick up his ass."

"I can't just forget about him, Cartman. He's my friend."

"Pussy."

"I thought we went over this already. I'm not a pussy. Besides, had I just forgotten about you every time we had a fight, we wouldn't have made it past kindergarten."

"I guess that's true," Cartman conceded grudgingly.

"So I'm glad I didn't give up on you."

Cartman looked a bit embarrassed, but Kyle didn't comment further. "I'm just pissed, is all," Cartman mumbled.

"I know. Me too."

"Oh, look who finally decided to join us?" Cartman jerked his head in the direction of an approaching Kenny. Kenny flashed them both a grin, sitting down next to Cartman.

"Hey guys."

"Hi, Ken."

"Hey Kenny, glad you could find the time," Cartman said sarcastically.

"Sorry, sorry," he laughed, putting his hands up. "I've been a bit busy."

"Yeah, really busy."

"What crawled up your ass?"

"Nothing."

"He's mad because Stan's still ditching us, and you haven't shown up all week for lunch," Kyle explained.

"Am not," Cartman whined.

"Ah, I see. Sorry guys, really. I guess I didn't really think about it. But it seems like you are getting along just fine without me."

Kyle simply shrugged.

"But I'm here now!" Kenny grinned, stealing a French fry from Cartman's tray.

"Hey!"

Kenny laughed, munching on the fry. "So, how weird is it that all these kids have chosen to change their wardrobes?" He once again started reaching for Cartman's food.

"It's really stupid," Cartman snapped, moving his tray as far away from Kenny as possible.

Kyle shrugged again. "I don't know. I guess I should be happy about it, but something doesn't feel right. I guess I just sense a bunch of tension in the hallways. Some kids look really pissed about it, especially the kids Stan has been hanging around. I mean, look at how they glare at everyone."

"Yeah," Kenny agreed. "I think I have noticed that as well. Hey Kyle, tomorrow I'm not going to have dinner with you. But can I come over later to do laundry?"

"No problem, dude. Another date?"

Kenny grinned. "How did you know?"

"How about tonight?"

"Tonight's good. I'll be there at the usual time."

"Do you go over there every night?" Cartman asked, looking from Kyle to Kenny and back again.

"Yep!" Kenny chirped. "We're REALLY close," he said as he reached across the table to run his hand up Kyle's arm.

Kyle simply rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to roll, but I promise to eat lunch with you guys tomorrow. See you!" With that, Kenny popped up and left the lunch room.

Kyle sighed. "Bye," he muttered, even though Kenny was already gone.

"You're mom feeds him every night?"

"Yeah. I talked to her about Kenny's situation, and both my mom and dad felt sorry for him. I begged them to let him eat dinner with us, since he normally doesn't get much. I guess it's not every night, but most nights. Sometimes he has other things to do, or he eats with his family. But he comes over every night for a shower, and sometimes to do laundry."

"That's nice of them."

Kyle nodded. "Yeah. See? Sometimes my mom can be nice."

"She's still a bitch though."

"Don't call my mom a bitch, Cartman."

"You know it's true."

"Whatever."

"You know," Cartman started quietly, swirling a French fry in some ketchup, "Maybe we could hang out after school once in a while."

Kyle blinked. "I don't see why not. Since Kenny isn't eating with us tomorrow night, do you want to take his place?"

"Don't you work?"

"No. Carol, one of my coworkers, wanted more hours this week, so I let her have my Friday shift. I work Saturday and Sunday, though."

"Won't your mom freak that it's me?"

"Probably," Kyle grinned, "but that will make it more interesting, won't it?"

"Heh," Cartman snorted, "I suppose it will."

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle knew immediately that something was wrong when the large group of seniors approached him, laughing and generally looking a bit threatening. Even though they made Kyle nervous, he wasn't the kind of person who backed down, no matter how huge their muscles were.

"Hey, are you Broflovski?" one kid inquired, stopping in front of Kyle and crossing his arms across his chest.

Kyle closed his locker, turning to face the newcomers. "Yes? Who wants to know?"

"None of your business. We're just here to tell you that we don't take kindly to your kind."

"And what kind is that?"

"Fags."

Kyle's breath caught in his throat. How the hell did they know?

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Someone else in the group snorted. "Of course you do."

"Anyway," continued their leader. "You better stay the fuck out of our way, otherwise you'll regret it." He roughly shoved Kyle against the lockers.

"Hey!" He felt his anger rising.

"You don't deserve to go to this school."

"Fuck off. I have every bit of right as you do."

"Don't compare your pathetic self to us."

"I think you're the pathetic ones, ganging up five to one on a junior."

"Fuck you, Broflovski!" the leader growled, swinging a punch aimed at Kyle's face. Kyle, however, had gotten into a lot of fights with Cartman in the past, so he instinctively knew the exact moment to duck. The senior rammed his hand into the locker where Kyle's head had just been, and he yelled out in pain. Kyle then slipped between the leader and the lockers, trying to distance himself from the group. However, the leader recovered quickly and grabbed at Kyle's arm.

Kyle kicked at his shin, which caused another howl of pain to escape from the larger boy's mouth, but Kyle's victory was short lived. The others had decided to get involved, and two of them grabbed at Kyle. He fought back against them, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew that he was no match for them, especially since there were five of them. He held his own for a few moments, but they soon started to overwhelm him. His legs were suddenly lifted and held by two seniors, and his arms by another two. Kyle weakly tried to kick again, but the effort was in vain. The leader growled angrily, cracking his knuckles as he prepared to punch Kyle square in the jaw.

"Get the fuck off of me!" he screamed, hoping that maybe some teachers would hear the commotion and come to his aid.

Instead, someone else came.

"Hey! Let him go!" came a familiar shout from down the hallway. The senior's fist had frozen midair, hovering dangerously close to its target. Kyle looked over his shoulder, and was shocked to see Stan standing down the hall, his hands in fists of rage at his sides.

"Fuck, it the quarterback," someone hissed.

"I said," Stan repeated, "let him go."

The jocks all looked at each other, frozen for the moment as if deciding what to do. However, the two who were gripping Kyle's ankles let go, and Kyle was once again safely on his own feet. The others let go of his arms, and Kyle quickly jerked away from the seniors. He noticed that he was panting, and his heart felt like it was going to break out of his chest.

"What the fuck, Stan, we were just having a little fun," the leader complained. "He just started to get rebellious, is all."

"I don't care. Just go," Stan growled, walking up to the group.

They all looked at each other, and then the leader jerked his head down the hall. "Come on, guys. Let's go."

"Why the hell are we listening to that stupid junior?" Kyle heard one of them whine as they left.

Stan watched them go before turning toward Kyle. "Are you ok?" he asked, genuine concern in his voice.

He should have felt comforted by the fact that his best friend had saved him from a horrible fight that would have most likely left him seriously hurt. He should have been relieved that Stan was even talking to him. He should have felt happy that he could use this moment to fix their friendship and put everything back to normal. But instead, Kyle could feel a deep rage within him. He felt hurt and betrayed, because he knew exactly how those seniors found out about his sexuality. In the past, he would have immediately suspected Cartman for this careless act, but he knew better.

Kyle was pissed. Stan had taken his feelings and tore them apart all week. He had turned his back on their friendship. And even worse, Stan had told someone else a secret that Kyle had entrusted in him. Kyle was beyond angry.

_Fuck you, Stanley Marsh. Fuck you._


	10. Chapter 10

It was a rare occurrence when Stanley Marsh had seen Kyle mad at him.

The first time was sometime in kindergarten, when Stan had stolen one of the toys Kyle was playing with. He thought it was a toy car, but he couldn't really remember the incident very well. It was so far back in his memory that it had almost disappeared. However, he could remember the rush of fear when Kyle had stomped up to him, his green eyes full of rage. He had almost wet his pants.

The second time was sometime in fourth grade. They had gone years without fighting, but they actually had a few small fights in fourth and fifth grade. Some weren't worth remembering, but Stan could definitely remember an instance when they had found a caveman, and argued who it belonged to. Kyle and he had been really pissed at each other, and once again, Stan had been almost overwhelmed by the angry look in Kyle's eyes.

The last time they had fought, however, had been the worst. They hadn't spoken to each other in a month. It had happened while they were in middle school. The fight had been rather stupid, really. In fact, Stan wasn't really sure how it even started; it was just an argument about what bands they liked the best. However, it had somehow blown up into a huge deal, and Kyle's anger had made Stan avoid the other for weeks out of fear.

It wasn't as if he ever thought Kyle would hurt him, yet Kyle usually only reserved such anger toward Cartman. Perhaps Stan was just uncomfortable to be given similar treatment as Kyle gave his nemesis. Or perhaps it was just because that look in Kyle's eyes was just really fucking scary.

"Are you ok?" he asked, concerned about the wellbeing of his best friend. But as he turned toward Kyle, he could immediately sense the anger. When he looked into Kyle's eyes, he felt his stomach drop.

Fuck.

"Do I look fucking ok?" Kyle spat, his voice trembling with rage.

Stan felt panicked. "I, uh, well…"

"You fucking TOLD someone else that I'm gay? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I only told Wendy!" he said, taking a step away from Kyle.

"You only told Wendy? You ONLY told WENDY? You shouldn't have fucking told anyone! Now, somehow, the whole fucking school knows! Do you realize what a walking bull's eye I've become because of you?"

"B-but she's my girlfriend…"

"I don't fucking care who the fuck she is. I like Wendy just as much as the next person, but that doesn't give you a right to tell her! If I wanted her to know, I would have mentioned it to her personally, Stan."

"I tell her everything, Kyle," Stan argued, feeling his defenses perk up. "You know that."

"Well, somehow or another, everyone knows."

"Are you accusing Wendy of blabbing? Because she wouldn't!"

"Oh, really? Then who else did you tell?"

"Why do you think it was me?"

"Because I'm not an idiot Stan."

"I didn't…" Stan paused as realization hit. He hadn't exactly told her, but he had accidently let something slip when he was around one of Wendy's friends. "I-I… I didn't mean…"

"I knew it! Shit, Stan, I thought I could trust you!"

"You can!"

"Obviously I can't, if you're telling other people about my sexuality!"

"Is it really that big of a deal if everyone knows?"

"For fuck's sake, Stan, of course it is! Do you realize what those guys were about to do to me? They weren't going to play nice, that's for sure."

"Calm down, Kyle, I really didn't mean-"

"I don't fucking care if you didn't mean it. This is beyond a huge betrayal Stan. How could you treat me with so little respect? You refuse to talk to me for over a week, just because you're freaked out that I'm gay or something, and then you go and blab to someone else, so that the whole fucking school knows? I can't believe you!"

"I'm sorry!"

"If you had been sorry, you should have said something a week ago. It's too late, Stan. You fucked everything up."

"This isn't all my fault!"

"Oh, really? Whose fault is it then?"

"Well, it's not like you tried all that hard to talk to me this week."

"Screw you, Stan, you know I tried to talk to you a few times, and you just ran away like a scared girl."

"I'm not like a scared girl."

"You totally are."

"Fuck you, Kyle. I can't help it if I'm uncomfortable around you."

"You shouldn't be uncomfortable around me! That's my whole point! I'm your best friend!"

"You WERE my best friend. You're completely different! You went to that fucking camp and everything suddenly changed."

"Nothing changed, Stan. I'm who I always was."

"No, you're not. I don't even know who you are anymore!"

"I'm starting to think that I don't know you, either."

"Screw you, Kyle."

"No thank you, Stan."

"Fuck off!"

"What the hell is your problem?"

"YOU'RE my problem! You think you're so high and mighty now that you're different, but guess what – you're just a joke!"

"I told you, I'm not any different!"

"You make me sick."

Stan could sense that his words had hurt Kyle rather deeply, but he was so mad that he didn't care.

He continued. "Just stay the fuck away from me, you stupid quee-"

Suddenly, a blast of pain exploded on the left side of his jaw, his head jerking toward the right. His hand flew up to his cheek, his mind taking a moment to understand what the hell had just happened. He quickly looked at Kyle, whose fist was still hanging midair.

"Don' t use that-"

"I can't believe you-"

"word, you stupid-"

"just hit me!"

"asshole."

"I'm not an –"

"Fuck you and –"

"asshole, you fag!"

"the horse that you-"

"Never hit me again-"

"rode in on!"

"Or I'll beat the shit-"

"Oh, I'm so fucking scared-"

"out of you, -"

"You're so far in-"

"you goddamn-"

"the closet that-"

WHAM! Stan could hear the sound his own fist made when it hit Kyle's face echo down the hallway. Kyle stumbled back from the impact, grasping at his eye, and Stan could hear him curse underneath his breath.

Things were blowing up. Stan shook with rage, fear, and betrayal. He felt lost. Nothing made sense anymore. On one hand, he couldn't believe that he had hit Kyle, but on the other, he felt like the stupid jerk deserved it. This wasn't right. None of it was right. They shouldn't be fighting. They were best friends.

Kyle straightened up, his hand still clasped over his left eye. He stared at Stan, shock written all over his face. As Stan looked back at him, he felt like he was going to be sick. But for the first time since Kyle had come back from the camp, it wasn't because of Kyle's looks but rather the sickening situation they had gotten themselves into.

He had to get away. He couldn't look at him anymore. All of this was Kyle's fault. None of this would have happened if Kyle had just been satisfied with the way their friendship had been. Stan abruptly turned on his heel and stormed down the hallway, not looking back at the boy he had once considered his best friend.

Everything had just blown up, and Stan didn't know how to fix it.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Where's Wendy?"

"She went home. I think she's a little mad at me that I got into a fist fight with Kyle today," Stan mumbled, his face hidden in his arms.

Most of his new friends were originally Wendy's friends, but he had clicked more with Wendy's guy friends than the girls. He was sitting with a small group of them after school. They had decided to hang by the race track, sitting up in the bleachers.

"She'll get over it."

"I hope so," Stan sighed, lifting his head. "I just can't believe he wasn't in the least bit grateful that I saved him from the seniors in the football team."

"Eh, screw him."

"Ugh, look at those girls down there," another guy piped in, pointing at some girls walking across the track. "What is with everyone lately? I don't see why everyone is deciding to change their clothes."

"It's not really about that," the first guy responded. "I mean, they are using it as an excuse to pretend that they are something they aren't. Look at Red. She's acting like a complete bitch now."

"Yeah, I totally agree. I bet you all that by this time next week, more than half the school is going to be wearing different shit, and trying to be someone they aren't."

"That's not comforting in the slightest."

"Not us, though. We all know exactly who we are, and we aren't going to pretend that we're someone different."

"Right!"

"I wish there was some way for us to stop this madness."

Stan listened to them absentmindedly while thinking that hanging out with them was nowhere near as fun as when he hung out with his old friends.

-.-.-.-.-.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Stan tensed, recognizing the voice instantly. He had decided to go home, and was just about to exit the track area when he had heard the voice from below the bleachers. Kenny peered out at him, half consumed by darkness. A girl was with him, one that Stan didn't recognize. She was adjusting her shirt.

Stan pursed his lips, not really wanting to talk about what had happened. "I guess you haven't seen Kyle, then."

Even in the shadows, Stan could see Kenny's eyebrow arch up. A moment passed before Kenny turned and grinned at the girl.

"Hey, I'm going to walk home with my friend here. But I'll see you tomorrow before school starts?"

"Sure thing, babe. See you later, Kenny!" She waved, smiled sweetly at Stan, and left them. Stan watched her go and then turned his attention back toward Kenny.

He slowly made his way out from behind the bleachers, studying Stan's black and blue mark on his cheek. "Shit… Kyle really got you good, didn't he?"

"Yeah," Stan mumbled, turning a bit away as if to hide the proof of their fight.

Kenny cleared his throat. "Look, Stan… I don't know what's going on with you and Kyle, but… shit. I'm sorry I accused you of liking him last week. You know how I am sometimes – I can say the stupidest shit."

"I-it's ok, Kenny," Stan stammered.

"Seriously. I told you I wouldn't take sides, and I did. I've been hanging out with the rest of the group, and it felt like you were ditching me too. I mean, you haven't tried to see me since you both started your fight."

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, Kenny, but… maybe its better this way."

"Why?"

"Well… I don't want you to get in between our fight. It's not fair to you."

"Yeah, but it sucks if I lose one of my good friends in the process."

"Sorry…"

"Come on, let's walk."

They started walking through the sports field, back toward the school. Stan shoved his pockets in his jacket, knowing that Kenny wasn't going to leave things the way they stood.

"Stan," Kenny started, "I don't want to be a jerk, but seriously, dude, you're acting like a prick. I'm not saying that we have done everything correctly, either. I know I fucked up already, picking that fight with you before. But dude, you have to make up with Kyle soon. The longer you fight, the harder it's going to be."

"I think it's too late, Kenny. Today, Kyle and I really blew up at each other in the hallway. He's really pissed. I don't know if he could ever forgive me."

"I know Kyle can be… stubborn. But he hasn't been himself since you guys started fighting. He obviously misses you."

"I don't know how all of this happened, Kenny. I mean, Kyle came back from camp, and I was mad. He had broken his promise to me that he would talk to me every night."

"I'm sure he got busy, Stan."

"Yeah, I know, but that doesn't give him an excuse to not contact me for an entire month. But I was willing to forgive that. But then, he shows up, completely different. South Park was driving him nuts; he wanted change. He wanted to be himself. I get that. But it still makes me feel like I wasn't good enough for him. Put that on TOP of him not contacting me… It hurt. But again, I was trying to forgive him for that. Now, suddenly, he's come out. I felt… awkward, Kenny. The thought that we have been friends for so long that he couldn't even tell me hurt. Also, I've been sharing a bed with him up until now, whenever we have sleepovers!" Stan could see Kenny shake his head next to him, but he continued. He had to get this off of his chest. "And due to his new clothes, Kyle suddenly looks… looks… good. I'm not gay, but… there's something about Kyle. And I don't want to sleep with him, or dump Wendy, or anything like that. But the thought of him possibly being attracted to me scared me. I overreacted. I acted like a complete jerk. But I didn't have the balls to apologize. Yesterday, I had made a promise to myself that I would finally apologize, but today Kyle and I got into a fight first. We both said… things. Now, I think that it's too late to save our friendship. He's pissed, and I said some horrible things. We threw punches, for god's sake. I just feel like the situation just keeps getting worse and worse."

Kenny was quiet after Stan's small rant. Stan kicked at the ground as they walked. They were now passed the school grounds and heading toward the residential area.

Kenny sighed. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Yeah," Stan miserably agreed.

"Kyle would forgive you for anything. He loves you. And not like that, you homophobic jerk." Kenny pushed him playfully to show that he was at least mildly kidding, but Stan knew that there was some truth in Kenny's words. There always was.

"I don't know. It's gotten pretty bad."

"You guys have been through too much for you to just throw away your relationship. I say, give it a little bit of time, and then come crawling to Kyle, begging for forgiveness."

"But am I seriously the only one who should be apologizing?"

"Probably not. But someone has to begin the sorry chain; otherwise this fight is going to last forever. Kyle's forgiving, but you really need to get on the ball. He's not going to wait forever."

"Kenny?" Stan questioned, wondering why his voice sounded so small.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Stan had to be one of the luckiest people on earth of have a friend like Kenny. For the first time since their friendship began, Stan truly appreciated Kenny in a way he never had in the past.

He just hoped that he didn't realize it too late.


	11. Chapter 11

Kenny didn't consider himself smart by any means. He had killed himself a million times from doing really stupid things, and had even done it on purpose from time to time. However, he did take pride in the fact that he could be rather observant. He could read stranger's emotions almost instantly, which had made it easy for him to start socializing with others in the school as of late. He could judge group dynamics, and theorize if there will be relationship problems or not. He could look at a person and instantly know what mood they were in.

Yet although Kenny was good at reading other people, he was particularly good at reading his friends. After all, he had known them on a personal level longer than anyone else. It was probably easiest for him to read Cartman. He and Cartman had shared a special bond once when Kenny was dead, and somehow Kenny was never able to shake that strange connection with the other boy. So the fact that Cartman was struggling with his relationship with Kyle as of late wasn't lost on Kenny. He was also aware that Cartman's anger toward Stan mostly stemmed from Cartman's strange urge to protect Kyle. Kyle was probably the second easiest to read in Kenny's life. Even though Kyle had undergone what Stan called "a change," Kenny knew that Kyle hadn't really changed at all. In fact, if anything, he had gone back to who he used to be. Kyle was being more true to himself that anyone Kenny had ever known, except perhaps, Stan.

Stan… well, Kenny could read him rather well too. He had instantly known that Stan's comfort level around Kyle had been compromised due to Stan's sudden attraction. He had also known that a lot of Stan's anger stemmed from Kyle's betrayal at camp, but also from Stan's belief that he wasn't good enough for Kyle. As Stan rambled to him, Kenny silently congratulated himself for knowing these things, even though Stan hadn't directly told him before.

"Thanks," Stan muttered quietly.

Kenny laughed softly. "For what?"

"For listening. And not getting pissed at me."

"Well, I'm a little pissed, but… I know that in the end you'll choose to do the right thing."

Stan was quiet, obviously pondering Kenny's words. Kenny was also silent. Although he knew Stan rather well, he had been wrong before. In fact, he had been the one who told Kyle that the fight would have been long over by now. He had also told Kyle that Stan wouldn't give Kyle the silent treatment, and that was pretty much exactly what he had done.

So it wasn't lost on Kenny that sometimes, he could be dead wrong. He just hoped that he wasn't this time.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Hey Ken," Kyle said miserably as he opened the door.

"Holy fuck!" Kenny practically shouted, seeing Kyle's black eye.

"Sh! My mom's home, dude."

He lowered his voice some, but didn't stop the bad language. "Sorry, but holy shit. That's one black eye."

"Well, Stan can hit pretty hard."

"No kidding. But," he stepped into Kyle's house, "I saw Stan, and you didn't do so bad yourself."

"I guess. Wait, you saw Stan? Did you talk to him?"

"Yeah. He's pretty bummed out about what happened."

"Well, it's his fucking fault," Kyle growled, closing the door.

Kenny just shrugged. "Maybe my talk with him will encourage him to apologize to you."

"It better be one good apology to make up for all the shit he has put us through."

"Kyle! Is that Kenny?" Kyle's mom called from the kitchen.

"Yeah!" Kyle replied.

"Oh good, dinner is almost ready. Why don't you boys wash up?"

"Ok!" Kyle turned back toward Kenny. "By the way, did you know that Cartman is coming over here tomorrow night?"

"What?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Who would have thought that Stan and Cartman would have switched places?"

"Yeah," Kyle muttered darkly. "Who would have?"

-.-.-.-.-.

"What the fuck happened to you?"

Kenny winced as Cartman shrieked practically in his ear. The two boys had beaten Kyle to the bus stop the next morning and Kenny hadn't warned Cartman of Kyle's new look. When Cartman had seen the red-head and his black eye, he freaked out.

"Come here, let me look! What the fuck, Jew? Who the hell did this to you?" Cartman had grabbed Kyle's chin, jerking Kyle's head to the side so he could get a better look at his eye.

"Shit, Cartman, calm down!" Kyle sputtered, his cheeks flushing pink.

"Who, Jew?"

Kyle hesitated briefly. "S-Stan…"

"I'm going to kill him."

"Don't kill him."

"I don't care what you say, Kyle, I'm going to kill the son of a bitch."

Kenny bit his lip, amused as he watched the two.

"Cartman," Kyle said evenly, prying Cartman's hand off of his cheek, "I deserved it."

"The fuck you did."

"I hit him first."

"That doesn't give him a right to hit you back!"

Kyle sighed. "Just promise me you won't kill him."

Cartman growled, not responding.

"Cartman!"

Kenny shook his head. "Cartman, killing Stan is not the answer."

"At least he would learn his lesson," Cartman grumbled.

Kyle gave him a warning look. Cartman finally threw up his hands, sighing.

"Fine, FINE! I won't kill him. But he fucking deserves it."

Kyle looked relieved. Cartman still looked pissed. Kenny bit back a laugh.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Do you get the feeling that more people have changed today?" Kenny asked casually, watching the students walk down the hallway around them.

"Yeah," Kyle groaned miserably. "It's like they're multiplying."

-.-.-.-.-.

"See? I promised, and here I am!" Kenny exclaimed, sitting in his usual spot next to Cartman. Kenny could see Kyle still getting his lunch.

"I'm shocked," Cartman mocked, which only caused Kenny to grin.

"I heard you and Kyle are going to hang out tonight."

"What of it?" Cartman quickly retorted, and Kenny could tell that he had gotten defensive.

"That's awesome! I'm glad you guys are getting along."

"We just tolerate each other."

"Yeah, and I believe that. You know, Carman, Kyle seems excited that you two are going to hang out."

Kenny relished the embarrassed expression that crossed Cartman's face.

"Hey guys," Kyle said, sitting down across from Kenny. "Glad you joined us today, Ken."

"I told you both that I'd be here, and it's like you didn't believe me!"

Kyle glanced at Cartman. "What's wrong with you, Cartman?"

"Nothing," Cartman curtly replied.

"I was just giving him a hard time," Kenny explained.

Kyle didn't ask for any details. "So you'll never guess who just interrogated me about being gay."

"Who?" Kenny asked, eying Cartman's lunch.

"Bebe."

"That doesn't really surprise me. She's had a crush on you since elementary school."

"Yeah, but… I don't know. I guess I wasn't really expecting it. I think that it made her feel better, though, to know that I never went out with her because I was gay and not because I didn't like her."

"I can see how that would be comforting."

"I'm glad none of us went out with her," Cartman commented. "She's annoying."

"You think all girls are annoying," Kyle pointed out.

Cartman just shrugged. "I guess. But the biggest bitch is Wendy. I'm so glad that she didn't ever sit with us during lunch."

"I like Wendy," Kyle said.

"I guess it's now my goal to ask Bebe out," Kenny announced.

"What? Why the fuck would you do that?" Cartman turned toward him.

"Because it will piss you off."

"You're such an asshole, Kenneh!"

"I know!" Kenny chirped happily. "She might be out of my league though."

"Why do you say that?" Kyle asked, taking a bite of his pizza.

"Well, you know. I'm not exactly a catch."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? You're fucking hot, Kenny. You could get any girl in this school."

Cartman made a face. "Ew."

"Thanks Kyle!" Kenny grinned, ignoring Cartman. "But I don't know. She knows how dirt poor I am. I've been pretty much going after girls outside of our grade because of that."

"I bet if you turned your charms on her, you could get her easily," Kyle argued.

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, I do."

"I seriously question your tastes, Jew," Cartman objected.

Kyle laughed. "Yeah, sometimes I do too."

Kenny practically laughed out loud. These two were just hilarious. He smirked. "So, what IS your type, Kyle?"

"H-huh?" he sputtered. "W-well, shit, I don't know."

"Yeah you do."

"I don't really want to talk about it."

"Why not? Come on, please? I'm sure Cartman wants to know too."

"I do not," Cartman protested.

"He does not," Kyle said simultaneously.

Kenny just laughed as the other boys quickly steered the topic of conversation elsewhere. He spent the rest of the lunch period stealing food from Cartman's plate. He knew that Kyle purposefully got more food than he needed, just so Kenny could have something, so he ate from Kyle's tray as well. However, Kenny found it more fun to leech off of Cartman. Kenny didn't have any actual proof, but he knew that Cartman bought more than he wanted as well, just for Kenny's sake.

"Son of a bitch!" Kenny suddenly exclaimed, spotting a girl he had gone out with a few days prior. She was holding hands with Butters. "Butters stole my girl!"

Kyle and Cartman both looked in the direction Kenny was looking. "Shit," Kyle exclaimed, "I didn't notice Butters changed his look too."

"He looks gay," Cartman retorted.

"You think everyone looks gay, Cartman," Kyle pointed out. "Holy shit, dude! Look at them make out!"

Kenny felt sick as he watched Butters and his now ex-girlfriend make out in one of the corners of the lunch room.

"Who would have thought that Butters would score a senior chick… or any chick for that matter," Cartman said, turning back to his food.

"I can't believe this," Kenny whined, unable to tear his eyes away from the horrible scene in front of him. "Butters stole my thunder! This is bad… what if my chances with the seniors are diminished by all of these posers?"

Kyle laughed as he turned around. "Kenny, please. You have a natural finesse that Butters doesn't. You'll be fine. I'm sure you'll score with lots of different girls, just like before."

"I hope so. I can't imagine living without sex now that I've had it."

Cartman snorted. "Kenny, you couldn't have imagined living without it when you were a virgin, you sick fuck. I know how much porn you have."

"I can't help it that I love the ladies."

"I don't think love is quite the right word," Cartman muttered sarcastically.

"Get out of my fucking way, you stupid cripple!"

Kenny's head jerked toward the loud voice that suddenly rang through the cafeteria, and Kyle and Cartman did the same. Another student, most likely a senior, was towering over Jimmy, who looked like he was about to piss his pants. He was stuttering an apology, but that only seemed to piss off the senior even more.

Kenny narrowed his eyes. Who the fuck did that kid think he was? Jimmy most likely had done nothing wrong. Besides, who the hell didn't like Jimmy?

"What's wrong with you?" the senior continued. "Did you think that changing your clothes would make you talk less like an idiot?"

"I-I-I…" stuttered Jimmy.

"I can't believe that asshole," Kenny heard Kyle hiss, and before he knew what was going on, Kyle was storming up to where Jimmy and the senior were having their confrontation.

"Hey! What the fuck is your deal?" Kyle challenged. Kenny quickly looked over at Cartman.

"That stupid Jew is going to get killed," Cartman groaned. Kenny nodded in agreement. They locked eyes, sharing the same thought that they better join their headstrong friend. They both simultaneously rose and headed over.

"Ah, Broflovski again, huh? Didn't have enough the last time?" Kenny briefly wondered how Kyle knew the senior.

"Leave Jimmy alone. It's not his fault that you don't watch where you're going."

Kenny and Cartman stood behind Kyle. Kenny hoped that this wasn't going to turn into a fight, because it seemed like the senior had friends, and they were making their way toward them.

"What's going on in here?" Everyone's heads whipped around to see two teachers peek their heads into the lunch room. One of them must have immediately guessed what was going on, and approached them. The senior hissed his disapproval.

"Is there a problem here?" he asked, his hands on his hips.

"No sir," Kyle said smoothly. "This senior, here, started verbally attacking my friend Jimmy here for being disabled. Eric, Kenny, and I just came over to tell him to stop."

"H-he ca-ca-ca-called me a g-g-gi-gi-gimp," Jimmy chimed in.

The teacher sighed. "Come on, Michael, let's have a little chat in my office," the teacher said, placing a hand on the senior's back and leading him out of the lunchroom.

"T-t-thanks g-guys," Jimmy exclaimed.

"No problem, Jim. That guy was a total asshole," Kyle replied.

"I can't believe we didn't get in trouble," Kenny mused.

"That teacher is my math teacher. I think he just trusted that I wouldn't get in trouble," Kyle grinned.

"Even despite that huge black eye you've been sporting?" Kenny teased.

Kyle laughed. "I told him earlier today that it was done by someone who found out I was gay, and that I didn't know who it was. So I am still maintaining my 'good boy' image. Besides, I think that senior causes a lot of problems, especially lately."

Kenny wanted to ask about how Kyle knew the senior, but the lunch bell rang just before he could open his mouth. Kyle led the way back to the lunch table, and the three of them started heading out of the cafeteria.

"Hey, Kenny, what time are you coming over tonight?"

"Well, I'm not really sure, but like I said, I'll be over for a shower. It won't be too late."

"Ok, well, we'll see you then!"

Kenny waved to Kyle and Cartman as they headed toward their next classes before he started heading toward his. Kenny pursed his lips. He didn't like the tension in the air. It seemed to drift throughout the hallways during school, and it caused everyone to be on edge. He worried that the tension would grow and then suddenly break, and when that happened, all hell would break loose.

He shook his head. Better not to think about it until it actually happens. Who knew? He had been wrong in the past.


	12. Chapter 12

Cartman wasn't really sure how to describe his feelings, or why he was having them in the first place. As each day passed, he became more and more on edge, but he couldn't really explain why. Normally, Cartman would be on top of such things. He would be in the middle of all the chaos, directing it. However, this time, Cartman felt more out of the loop than normal. Something was wrong, and he had no clue what it was.

However, he knew that the reason he couldn't think clearly as of late was because of Kyle. His friend was on his mind often, and it confused the hell out of him. When he was at home, he was thinking of Kyle. When he was at school, he was thinking of Kyle. When he was out walking around, he was thinking of Kyle. It seemed that Kyle was taking over his thoughts, and it scared Cartman shitless. Certainly, Kyle had often been on Cartman's mind, even when they were younger. However, his thoughts back then consisted mostly of plots and devious planning that would result in the Jew to be humiliated somehow. His thoughts now were nothing like that; in fact, he even found himself staring at Kyle in an almost carnal way.

Like now. He walked behind Kyle and Kenny, and his eyes glanced over Kyle's ass. They lingered there for a while before he realized that he was staring. He quickly looked away, hoping that no one noticed.

"Ok, well, we'll see you then!"

Kenny waved at them as Cartman and Kyle continued down the hall. Both of their classes were in the same area. Cartman quickened his steps so that he was walking next to Kyle. Cartman needed to talk to Kyle, but he wasn't really sure where to start.

"You can be such a fucking dumbass sometimes," he began. Kyle jerked his head toward him, shock written on his face. Ok, maybe that wasn't the best way to start. Cartman cleared his throat. "You shouldn't just run up to guys looking for a fight like that."

"He was probably going to punch Jimmy, or worse. Besides, no one should talk to anyone like that," Kyle responded defensively.

"I don't fucking care. It was dangerous, and you would have gotten your ass kicked if that teacher didn't show up."

"That senior thinks he can just bully people whenever he wants to. Someone needs to stand up to him!"

"But it doesn't have to be you."

"Well, I wasn't going to just sit there and watch it happen like the rest of the lunchroom."

"Someone would have helped."

"I really don't think so. I'm not the kind of person to just watch someone get hurt without trying to do something about it, Cartman."

Cartman pursed his lips. He probably knew that better than anyone. "I suppose. Just don't go running into a situation like that so unprepared."

Kyle's defensive demeanor seemed to deflate, and shook his head. "I didn't mean to worry you."

"You didn't worry me."

"Yes I did."

They both stopped. They had reached Kyle's classroom first. Kyle looked at him matter-of-factly, which always annoyed Cartman in the past. Now, however, it just made Cartman's stomach twist nervously.

Kyle shifted his backpack on his shoulder and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. That I worried you. I'll…" He looked down for a second, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear before looking back up again, "I'll be more careful next time."

Cartman stared, and for a long moment neither boy broke eye contact. Cartman felt extremely nervous for some reason, but in all fairness, Kyle didn't look very comfortable himself. Cartman remained still and unmoving, while Kyle fingered one of the elastic straps on his backpack.

Kyle broke the spell first. He licked his lips before biting down on his lower one, looking away. Cartman quickly looked away as well.

"So, uh… I'll see you after school?" Kyle asked, not looking at him.

"Sure."

"C-cool."

"Later."

"See you."

Cartman quickly continued down the hallway toward his classroom, his heart beating loudly in his chest. He could have been completely wrong, but he was pretty positive that Kyle had been just as uneasy as he was. This thought somehow comforted him.

-.-.-.-.-.

"There you all. I've been waiting forever, you stupid Jew."

Kyle rolled his eyes as he came up to where Cartman had been waiting. In truth, he had only been there a couple of minutes, but he felt like giving Kyle a hard time.

"Whatever, Fatass. Let's go."

They started walking, and at first, Carman didn't really know what to say. He shoved his hands in his pockets, twisting a loose thread on the inside around his finger. He stared directly at the ground as they walked, hoping that Kyle would come up with something to say.

Luckily, he did. "So, I was thinking that maybe we could play a new fighting game that I just bought."

"It's not some lame ass game, is it?"

"I don't think so. It seems pretty cool. I bought it yesterday after school, but I haven't played it yet. I figured you'd like it."

Oh shit, here came that horrible twisting sensation in his stomach again. "Y-you thought I'd like it?"

"Yeah, I bought it so we could play together. I figured I could easily kick your ass with a game like that."

"In your dreams," Cartman retorted, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. "I'm the king at every game."

"I bet you twenty bucks that I kick your ass."

"Bring it."

Cartman paused, feeling a bit more confident. Cartman had to admit that he knew Kyle better than he sometimes knew himself, and he was pretty positive that Kyle was showing some interest. This knowledge made Cartman feel bold. "Although, considering all the bets we've had, one would think you would have learned your lesson by now."

Kyle snorted. "I'm positive I can beat you."

"I guess the stakes aren't so high with it being twenty bucks. Not like the leprechaun incident." He slyly glanced over, and he smirked in satisfaction when Kyle's cheeks flushed pink.

"There was no way in hell that I was going to suck your balls."

"But you did, remember?"

"That wasn't me, and you know it."

"I beg to differ."

"Ugh, you're so infuriating sometimes."

"Whatever. You would have liked it if you had done it."

Kyle shook his head. "No, not back then I wouldn't have."

He raised an eyebrow. "So what does that mean? That you'd like it if you did it now?"

Kyle's face lit up like a tomato. "For fuck's sake, Cartman, that wasn't what I was trying to say."

"Sure sounded like it. Besides, I thought you liked cock."

Kyle groaned, but didn't respond. Cartman just laughed. He was now rather positive that there was something going on between them, even though neither of them had the balls to point it out.

-.-.-.-.-.

"So I didn't tell my mom it was YOU who was coming over. I just said a friend was coming."

"Oh great, so she's going to shit her pants when she sees me?"

"You know my mom wears a skirt, Cartman," Kyle grinned as he opened the door. "Mom! I'm home!" he called. He turned back toward Cartman. "Besides, it's more amusing this way, don't you think?"

"Of course," Cartman smirked.

Kyle returned the conspiring smirk. "I thought you'd like that."

"Oh, good, you're home Kyle. Did you bring your frie-." As Sheila came into the living room, her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head when she saw that it was Cartman standing there. Cartman smiled as sweetly as he knew how.

"Why, hellllo, Mrs. Broflovski. I hope you have been well," he greeted her, putting his hands behind his back and talking in his obnoxious, child-like drawl. His voice had dropped a few octaves over the years, but the general affect was still there.

"Hello, Eric. It's been a while." Cartman relished the sour look on her face.

"Why yes, yes it has. Kahl here was so generous in inviting meh over tonight, and I hope that I'm not too much of a bah-ther."

"None at all. Why don't you boys go play upstairs, and I'll let you know when it's time for dinner."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Mom, we don't 'play' anymore. We're 16."

"Have fun boys."

"Argh." Kyle led the way upstairs, and Cartman tried not to stare at his ass as he followed him. "Sometimes she treats me like such a child."

"My mom is probably worse."

"At least you get what you want. I still can't tell my mom that I have my part-time job."

"Wow, I can't believe you've been hiding that from her."

"She'd freak if she knew. Plus, I haven't exactly told my parents that I won't be a lawyer when I'm older." He let Cartman enter his bedroom before he closed the door.

Cartman looked around. The room layout hadn't changed much. As a child, he used to know where everything was. He had snuck into Kyle's room on multiple occasions, and had even been allowed to hang out there once in a while. Now, however, some posters had been rearranged or removed all together, and instead of toys adorning the shelves and corners of the room, Kyle had increased his book collection considerably. Also, there was now a TV near the foot of the bed.

Kyle threw his backpack down near his desk and went to his TV. He opened up the new fighting game and put the disc in his playstation. He tossed a controller at Cartman.

"Ready to get your ass handed to you?"

"In your dreams, Jew."

Kyle sat down on the bed, making room for Cartman. "So we're playing for twenty bucks?"

"I suppose. Although I would love another opportunity for you to suck my balls." He sat next to Kyle, making sure that there was enough space between them.

"Now that's in YOUR dreams, Cartman. Besides, if you lost, then you'd have to suck MY balls."

"Twenty bucks it is."

Kyle laughed, which caused Cartman to smile.

-.-.-.-.-.

Cartman didn't stick around too long after dinner. He was glad that he didn't make the more serious bet with Kyle, because he had lost miserably. Cartman had always been a sore loser, so he didn't want to resume the game after dinner. Besides, he knew that Kenny was coming over, and he wasn't sure he wanted Kenny to ruin his time with Kyle. So he paid up and went home, knowing that the next day he would visit Kyle at the video store.

And the next day, in fact, Cartman found himself entering the video store a half hour after Kyle's shift had started. He had wanted to come right when it had started, but he didn't want to seem too desperate.

"Finally!" Kyle greeted before Cartman could say anything. "What took you so long?"

"I didn't tell you I was coming," Cartman replied, a bit shocked.

"I was hoping you would, and you're late. I've been here a half hour lately, and I'm bored out of my fucking mind."

Cartman felt happy. "Well, I'm glad I could help my Jew with his boredom."

Kyle blinked, and Cartman wondered what the funny look was for. It took him a moment before he realized he had referred to Kyle as 'his.' He felt his face burn with the sudden realization.

Kyle grinned, obviously pleased. "Me too."

-.-.-.-.-.

"Do you work the same time tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Don't be late."

"I won't."

-.-.-.-.-.

"Do you know who I saw last night while walking home?" Kyle asked as he browsed the shelves. "Randy Marsh."

"And?" Cartman picked up a movie he didn't recognize, but frowned and put it back right away when he realized that Tom Cruise was in it. He hated that douche.

"Well, guess what he was wearing?"

He turned to look at Kyle. "Not his usual?"

"Nope!" Kyle laughed. "I bet Stan had a fucking fit when he saw his dad got into this craze."

"He should have seen it coming, though… his dad was always like that. He's a fucking hippie at heart."

"This is Stan we're talking about. He can be rather oblivious to the obvious sometimes."

"I guess. How about this?"

"No way, dude. That movie is shit. I can't wait to see his face tomorrow at school. I bet he'll be in a foul mood."

"He's always in a foul mood lately."

"This?"

"Faggy."

Kyle put the DVD back. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"Let's not talk about that asshole."

"For once, I agree with you."

"It's weird, though. I've seen a few older people wearing different things. I guess it's catching on."

"Yeah, I saw Mr. Garrison yesterday, and it was kind of weird."

"Let's look at the porn section."

"You know I'm not allowed to let you into that area. You're not 18."

"Neither are you and you fucking work here."

"I didn't say I wasn't going to let you. I was just pointing out that I'm not supposed to." Kyle grinned, leading the way.

"Finally! We get to watch some porn!"

"I didn't say we could watch it. Besides, I told you before – if it's not something I'd like, then we can't watch it."

"Lame!"

"I know. I might consider letting you rent something, though. I'm interested in seeing what kind of porn you'd pick out."

"If you get to see what I pick out, then I have to see what you'd pick out."

Kyle laughed. "Curious about gay porn?"

Cartman shrugged, not really wanting to answer. "No."

He could see the red-head lift an eyebrow. "Wow, that wasn't very convincing." He observed.

Cartman just shrugged again. "Well, all the other movies in here are pretty bad…"

"Seriously?"

He made a non-committal sound.

"Are you saying you're willing to watch gay porn?"

"I don't know…"

"If you're curious, you might as well watch it with me. I am the resident gay in our age group."

"I probably won't like it."

"So? Think of it as a learning experience."

"I'm not gay."

"Just curious?"

"…"

Kyle grinned. "Will you watch it with me?" he asked again.

Cartman shrugged again. "I guess I could."

This seemed to make Kyle's day. "Come on, the gay section is this way!" He grabbed Cartman's wrist and pulled him along with him. Cartman hoped that he wouldn't regret this.

-.-.-.-.-.

Cartman couldn't believe they were doing this. It was so gay. "This is fucked up."

"Yeah, this is kind of corny, and… a bit over the top."

Cartman pursed his lips. He hadn't exactly meant the movie, but he would go with it. "You like this sort of thing?"

"Well, not exactly THAT."

"Will you stop looking at the door? No one is going to come in."

"I know… I just don't want to risk it."

"Pussy."

"We're watching porn, aren't we?"

"A cheesy porn."

"All porn is cheesy."

"Yeah, you're right."

Cartman didn't want to admit it, but the movie was making him uncomfortable and a little bit turned on. He shifted slightly.

"Do you like THAT?"

Kyle blushed a bit. "Well, I've never done anything with anyone, so it's hard to tell, but…."

"But?"

Kyle shrugged, blushing harder.

Now THAT turned Cartman on. "Good to know."

Kyle didn't respond. He looked too embarrassed.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Well, that was probably the weirdest thing we've done together," Cartman observed. He leaned against the wall of the rental store, studying Kyle as he locked the doors for the night.

"Yeah, I have to agree with you on that."

"I'm sure you enjoyed yourself, though."

Even though it was dark, Cartman could still tell that Kyle was blushing. Cartman loved it when he did that.

"I don't think you had such a horrible time yourself," he retorted quickly, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. He tugged the door to make sure that it was locked properly.

"It wasn't so bad," he admitted.

Kyle snorted. "Good to know," he replied, echoing Cartman's words from earlier. "Come on, let's go home." He shoved Cartman playfully, and Cartman smiled. He walked next to him as they made their way down the street.

The whole situation made Cartman nervous, but he was starting to not mind. Something was going on between them, and Cartman liked it.

"Ugh, I don't want to go to school tomorrow," Kyle commented, keeping close to Cartman's side as they walked.

"Me neither."

"There just seems to be so much drama there."

"Yeah, and a whole lot of douche bags."

"Agreed."

Their arms brushed accidently while walking, but neither of them seemed to mind. Cartman didn't move away, and was pleased when Kyle didn't either.

"C-Cartman?" Kyle asked softly, and his tone made Cartman catch his breath.

"Yeah?" he muttered just as quietly, his chest feeling tight.

"I, uh… I'm glad we've gotten close."

"Me too."

"You're… really cool."

"Thanks. I think I'm pretty cool too."

Kyle chuckled, and their arms brushed together again. Cartman wasn't sure of it, but he was pretty sure it had been on purpose that time.

When they reached Cartman's house, they hesitated for a moment, smiling shyly at each other.

"So, uh… I'll see you tomorrow?" Cartman finally asked.

"Yeah. Same time, same place." Kyle tucked a curl behind his ear, and nervously rocked on the balls of his feet.

Cartman nodded dumbly, wanting to say something, anything, to keep Kyle there, but nothing came to mind.

"So, uh… see you then, Fatass."

"Night, Jew."

Kyle started making his way down the dark street. Cartman watched his retreating back for a moment before calling out to him.

"Kyle!"

The red-head turned around, his hair dancing in the breeze. "Yeah?"

"You're not so bad yourself."

He could tell that Kyle was smiling.

"I know!" Kyle replied cheekily, turning on his heel and continuing his way toward his house. Cartman smiled. He was still confused about his feelings, and didn't really know what the hell they were doing. He was vaguely aware of the obvious flirting they were doing, and he wasn't exactly against it. He wasn't sure where it was going, but he was pretty sure that he was happy with the way things were.

That night, it took Cartman a while to fall asleep that night, and it took even longer for his smile to fade from his lips.


	13. Chapter 13

His life wasn't exactly going according to plan, and things could certainly be better, especially when it came to the whole Stan situation. But at that moment, he didn't care. He had just experienced one of the best weekends of his life. He wasn't sure how the hell it came to be that Cartman started flirting with him, but he wasn't going to complain. It made him feel embarrassed, but it also made him feel alive. He felt almost sexy knowing that Cartman, someone who just a few weeks earlier had called him "ugly," had taken an interest in him. And Kyle knew Cartman better than anyone. Therefore, he knew that the flirtatious advances and the tense moments were from interest rather than simple teasing. It made Kyle happy. He would have never even dreamed that he could ever start to fall for his nemesis, but in retrospect, it all seemed to make sense. Why he always believed in him, despite the cruelty. Why he felt a great sense of betrayal whenever Cartman let him down. Why he felt relieved and even grateful when they were able to stay in the same room without killing each other.

Their friendship had come so naturally, despite the awkward beginning. Once Kyle had admitted that he cared for Cartman, it was as if their relationship had been propelled forward. In fact, it was as if these feelings had been there all along, covered up by lies, denial, and stubbornness.

Cartman's last revelation would have seemed like nothing to a passing stranger. But Kyle knew better. He knew what Cartman really meant, even if the words were left unsaid. Cartman never complimented anyone, not truthfully. So when Cartman told Kyle on that Sunday night that Kyle wasn't so bad, Kyle knew the only appropriate response he could give.

"I know!" he called, his voice ringing clear in the night, and he quickly turned away. Kyle suppressed any urges he had to skip, dance, sing, and shout his excitement and instead walked briskly home with a stupid grin plastered on his face.

He felt special knowing that he was the one person that Cartman was nice to.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Broflovski."

Fuck. Kyle recognized the voice instantly. He paused, and slowly straightened up. He had been rummaging around in his locker, trying to find his math folder, when the voice came directly behind him. He turned around, eying the larger boy suspiciously.

He had brought his friends.

"I didn't take kindly to getting in trouble on Friday," the leader, who Kyle now knew as Michael, growled.

Kyle glanced at his friends, who were flanking Michael's sides. Kyle was cornered, so escape wasn't an option. He quickly looked around and saw there wasn't anyone nearby. He had already been running late for his math class, and as the bell rang, he realized that there was probably not going to be anyone to save his ass this time.

"Look," he said evenly, keeping his voice calm despite his quickening heart rate, "Why don't we stop this before it gets out of ha-"

"Shut up. You humiliated me, and I got detention after school Friday. I'm on the football team – I can't afford to get into trouble like that!"

"Which is why threatening me isn't a good idea."

"Is THAT a threat, you scrawny asshole?"

"No, I'm just saying-"

Suddenly, Michael's hand was surrounding Kyle's throat. Kyle quickly jerked his body away, but he was trapped between Michael's large frame and the lockers. His hands flew up to Michael's fist, digging his nails into the flesh there, grasping and pulling. Luckily, he could still breathe, but his panic was making it difficult to.

"I'm not going to let a queer like you ruin my chances at going pro!" Michael snarled. "Now, you aren't going to tell anyone about this – otherwise, I'm going to fucking kill you. You understand?

Kyle closed his eyes as Michael lifted him up into the air a bit, still holding onto his throat. He struggled miserably, kicking at his attacker but unable to shake him. Finally, Kyle managed to nod once, indicating his own defeat, and he was let go. He gasped for breath, clutching at his throbbing neck.

"Now you know what happens when you mess with me," the senior spat, kneeing Kyle painfully in the ribs. Kyle cried out, falling to his knees from the mixture of shock and pain.

And as quickly as they had come, they were gone. Kyle didn't move while he waited for the sharp pain to subside and his breathing to return to normal. He decided that he didn't really care how late he was for class.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Are you ok?"

"Y-yeah, just not feeling all that great today," Kyle replied, sliding his tray down the lunch line.

Kenny pursed his lips, obviously not convinced. "Ok…. Nothing happened with Stan?"

"No, I actually haven't seen him at all today. Burger or sub?"

"Sub. Hey, so what the hell happened with Cartman?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? You know what he's wearing today."

"It's not that big of a deal. Chips?"

"Yes please. You somehow convinced the greatest asshole of all time to follow along with something you started. I consider that a big deal."

"It's not really about that. Besides, I didn't ask him to." Kyle grabbed milk for himself out of the cooler, along with a cherry coke for Kenny.

"I guess it's not a huge change. Well, as long as he doesn't add to my competition to getting girls, then I guess I won't complain."

Kyle snorted, heading toward the cashier. "I have a feeling that isn't going to be a problem."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing! You know how Cartman is." Kyle quickly paid the lunch lady and started leading the way to their usual spot.

"Are you sure there isn't anything wrong?" Kenny asked again, genuine concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm sure," he lied.

He put the tray down on their regular lunch table, sitting down quickly.

"Hey losers," Cartman greeted.

"Oh, French fries!" Kenny teased, making a grab for Cartman's tray.

"Hey! Get your own food!"

Kyle rolled his eyes, handing the sub, chips, and soda over to Kenny. "He has his own food."

Kenny grinned, accepting the food happily.

"So the teachers are now into this stupid fad," Cartman said.

"And you are too," Kenny observed.

It was true. Cartman had come to school that day with a different top on, and was wearing jeans. He still wore his trademark red jacket over it all, though.

"Shut up," Cartman muttered.

"Yeah," said Kyle, "I did see that a few teachers looked different today."

"Actually," Kenny added, "I noticed that a lot of adults have started doing it."

"Kyle said that he saw Stan's dad had done it."

Kenny laughed. "Ah, that's just priceless. But seriously, I saw two groups of kids arguing in the hallway just before lunch. Fists weren't involved, but it still looked pretty intense."

Kyle opened up his yogurt carefully, wondering if he should tell his friends about his incident earlier that morning. He decided to keep it to himself for now.

"Yeah, it looks like some feel really strongly about it," Cartman said thoughtfully.

"I wonder what's going to happen. Some people aren't too happy about things," Kenny mused.

"Well, a lot of people are doing it just so they can act like assholes."

"True. I can see why some people are upset. I think something big is going to happen."

"You think?"

"Yeah. Can't you sense the tension in the air? It seems to grow every day, and everyone seems to be separating into new groups. I mean, even Wendy's friend group seems to be separating. I'm surprised you haven't noticed, Cartman."

"I've been a bit distracted."

"I bet."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

They both paused, looking over at Kyle. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Cartman asked, and Kyle suddenly looked up.

"Nothing!" he insisted.

Neither of them looked like they believed him.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle wasn't really sure why he wasn't telling his friends about the bullying problem. It was definitely a distraction to say the least. They had approached him again on Monday, but luckily, only insults were thrown. On Tuesday morning, they walked by while Kyle was walking with his two friends, but they didn't say anything. Instead, they just gave him a threatening look that caused a chill to crawl down his spine. And now it was Tuesday afternoon. Kyle was walking to his last class of the day when they spotted him.

He pursed his lips, studying them thoughtfully. He decided that staying quiet and not angering them further was probably his best bet, so he paused in the middle of the hallway. Students were going to their next class, so they weren't alone. Kyle hoped that this would prevent a fight from breaking out.

"If it isn't Broflovski," the leader snarled, walking up toward him with a grin on his face.

He remained silent.

"I can't believe that everyone in this school tolerates your presence," Michael continued, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "How could they let a fag like you walk amongst them as if you have a right?"

Kyle bit back the string of insults that threatened to escape his lips.

"You know, you piss me off. You walk around as if you fucking own the place. You know, this school used to be semi-decent, but then you had to come back from summer break and fuck it all up. Now we have posers walking around, pretending to be someone they aren't. You filled this school with mindless assholes. Well, we're sick of it. It's time someone does something about it. We're not going to sit around while you convince everyone that they are somehow better than everyone else in South Park. I mean, fuck, it's spreading to the whole town! Well, fuck you, Broflovski. We're going to stop this."

Ok, that was it. "Look, I changed my appearance because I was sick of the way things were! This had nothing to do with convincing others to do the same thing!" His anger rose with every word.

"Don't talk to Michael that way!" one of Michael's friends yelled.

Students were milling in the hallway, watching them with curiosity. Kyle ignored them. "I'll fucking talk to him however I fucking wa-"

He regretted opening his mouth when the fist connected to his still sore ribs. He yelled out in pain, and suddenly they were on him. He vaguely heard the students shouting "Fight, fight!" in the background, but all he could really register was pain. He didn't stand a chance, and so instead he curled up, trying to protect himself from the onslaught. As quickly as it happened, it suddenly stopped, and when he opened his eyes, he saw his attackers fleeing down the hallway, and the students quickly dispersing. He swallowed, stumbling to his feet, and quickly headed into the nearest bathroom to assess the damage.

He stared at his face miserably as he clung to the sink. He hurt all over, but the seniors hadn't hit him anywhere on his face. He stared at his pale reflection, briefly registering that his black eye was healing well.

Kyle wasn't sure how, when, or where, but something had to change. He refused to be treated like this.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Are you sure you're ok? You've been really quiet."

"Yeah, I'm fine, Ken."

"Hmm…" They were walking together down the hallway after school. Word about the fight had travelled quickly, but Kyle was surprised that his name was never mentioned. In fact, neither of his friends suspected his involvement.

"Hey guys."

Kenny and he stopped, glancing over their shoulders. Wendy smiled, approaching them.

"Hi Wendy," Kyle said politely.

"How have you both been?"

"Been better," Kyle answered truthfully.

"Yeah… Stan told me what happened."

Kenny pursed his lips. "I don't mean to be rude, Wendy, but what's up?"

"Well," she started, glancing down the hallway a bit. "Let's go over here…" She led the way into an empty classroom, closing the door after them. "Look. Kyle, I'm sorry about the way Stan has been acting."

"It's ok, Wendy. It isn't your fault."

"I don't know what is with him. I found out about your fight last week. He really didn't mean for it to happen, or for how this whole situation got out of control."

"Me neither. To be honest, I just got really pissed off at him."

"That's understandable, Kyle. But, it's Stan's job to apologize to you, so even though I'm really sorry about the situation, there really isn't much I can do. Actually, there is another reason why I'm here."

Kyle glanced at Kenny, and he looked just as confused as Kyle felt.

Wendy continued. "I'm sure you've both noticed the problems that have started to surface around the school."

"Yeah, there used to never be any fights at this school," Kenny agreed.

"Well, it's because of this whole fad. Now, Kyle, I don't blame you for what you've done; instead, I commend you. You did something to better yourself. But unfortunately, people are using it as an excuse to pretend to be someone they aren't. They are causing a lot of problems, and friendships are breaking up because of it. Some of my best friends have turned into people I don't even recognize. On the other hand, there are people who are completely against it. I heard there was a fight earlier today, and just now, I heard there was a fight going on outside. It's ridiculous. To top it all off, it seems to be spreading outside of our school."

Kyle nodded, but remained quiet as Wendy continued.

"To make matters even worse, I'm friends with some people who are strongly opposed to this. They're starting to band together with others who feel the same way. They feel like half the school has turned into posers. I mean, I agree to a certain point, but I can also see why people are acting the way they are. The school is dividing, guys, and pretty soon, so will the town of South Park."

"I don't really see what we're supposed to do about it," Kenny cut in. "I mean, what the hell can we do? We aren't in charge of these people. They're the ones making their own decisions."

"I'm suggesting that we band together. We have to stop this nonsense before it gets out of hand!"

"And how the hell are we supposed to do that?" Kenny asked.

"I don't know. That's why I've come to you guys. You're group has single-handedly fixed most of the catastrophic problems that have befallen South Park in the past. If anyone can put South Park back the way it was, it's you."

"We've also been the cause of many of them," Kenny grinned.

"And some argue that it's your fault this has happened as well," Wendy pointed out.

Kyle pursed his lips, considering what Wendy had said. "I don't really know how to fix this, Wendy. But you're right – although I didn't mean for this to happen, it started with me. I should be the one to fix this."

"This isn't your fault," Kenny argued.

"No, maybe not, Ken, but it's because of my actions this happened, and you can't really argue with that. And Wendy's right – this school is falling apart."

"So you'll help?" Wendy asked.

"Yes."

"Good!" She clapped her hands together. "Now, there is just one more problem to address."

"What's that?"

"Stan. We need him on our side for this."

"You're probably our best bet for that, Wendy. Last time Stan and I talked, we each walked away with huge bruises and sore fists."

"I'll try, but he can be stubborn sometimes."

"I can try talking with him as well," Kenny cut in. "However, I haven't been able to convince him to talk with Kyle yet, so I'm not really confident that I'll convince him this time."

"He'll come around. Eventually," she said confidently.

"Ok, well… if anyone comes up with any ideas of how to stop this, then we'll let the others know," Kyle said. "I'll talk to Cartman about all of this too, and see if he has any suggestions."

"Cartman?" Wendy asked skeptically.

"Yeah," Kyle nodded. "He'll be on our side. Besides, he usually comes up with the best ideas anyhow."

"Ok," she agreed, not sounding convinced. "Well, good luck guys. I have to get home." She opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, the boys following her. "Let me know if anything happens."

Kyle glanced down the nearly empty hallway and spotted Stan. "Uh, guys? Stan alert."

The three of them looked down the hallway at him. He was chatting with a group of guys but hadn't noticed them.

"I better get going before he sees me with you," Wendy muttered. "See you both later." She quickly slipped away.

"I think I'm going to try to talk to him now," Kenny said, scratching his head. "I'll see you later tonight?"

"Sure thing." Kyle sighed softly. "Do you really think something bad is going to happen?"

"I do. See you."

Kyle watched Kenny head toward Stan and his friends. Wendy had been right – if they didn't do something soon, the whole situation would escalate.

"Hey Stan!" he heard Kenny greet Stan as Kyle turned to head out of the school.

As he walked home, he couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had settled in the pit of his stomach. Then again, that could have just been from the punches earlier. He wasn't really sure.


	14. Chapter 14

Stan was overwhelmed. Everything was spinning out of control, and he couldn't keep up. His new friends were starting to become more divided, torn apart by a school-wide political issue that had started to spread to the rest of South Park. His father had betrayed Stan by jumping headfirst into the fad, suddenly trying to act the part of a cool musician. His girlfriend was slowly starting to become annoyed at him, especially after his fist fight with Kyle….

Kyle.

He was the cause of all of his problems. If he hadn't gone to that camp, and hadn't turned his back on everyone, then they wouldn't have gotten into their fight, and the bullying at school wouldn't have started, and Wendy wouldn't be mad at him, and his dad wouldn't be acting like someone he clearly wasn't….

Stop.

Stan knew the truth. He knew that although Kyle had started the ball rolling, it wasn't really Kyle's fault. He knew that. He also knew that a lot of his problems stemmed from his own homophobia and failure to understand his former best friend's motivations. It had been HIM who had pushed Kyle away, not the other way around.

It had taken him a while to come to terms with this. However, he didn't want it to be true. He wanted to blame Kyle, because it was easier. He didn't want it to be completely his fault.

He knew what he had to do. He had to apologize. Things were getting way out of hand, and he couldn't seem to stop it. Stan knew that he had to suck it up and take responsibility for his falling out with his friends, and soon, before it was too late.

He was terrified, though, that he had waited too long.

Stan wasn't really listening to his friends as they chatted. They were talking about one of their former friends who had turned toward "the dark side," as they called it. Instead, he was imagining what it would be like when he apologized to Kyle, and frowned to himself when the imaginary Stan threw up all over Kyle's brown graphic tee.

"Hey Stan!"

He blinked, looking up. Kenny was approaching him, waving at him from up the hall. Stan caught a flash of red hair disappear from further down the hall, and instantly recognized it as Kyle.

"Oh, fuck. Stan, don't let that poser near us," one of his new friends whined quietly as Kenny came up.

"Hey Stan," Kenny repeated, a grin on his face. "What's new?"

"Why don't you go hang out with a different crowd, maybe one that's more like you?" sneered one girl.

Kenny blinked, obviously taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"Uh, come on Kenny, let's go this way. I'll see you guys later," Stan quickly said, taking Kenny's arm and steering him away.

"What the fuck was that about?" Kenny asked, pulling his arm away.

"I don't know. I'm sorry."

"You better be. You should have stood up for me! Shit dude, since when did you turn into such a pussy?"

"I'm sorry!"

Kenny sighed, obviously frustrated. "Ok, it's… it's fine. Look. We need to talk."

Stan swallowed. "Yeah, we do. I need to apologize to Kyle."

"Um, yeah. I thought you were going to get on that sooner than this."

"I know, I just… I'm … I don't know."

"Stan, I know that you're terrified about what's going to happen, but you really need to do this. Shit is going down at this school, and you really need to decide what team you're playing for."

"I know. I'll… talk to him tomorrow after school."

"Good. We miss you Stan."

Stan nodded, feeling like the lowest scum on earth. "I miss you guys too."

-.-.-.-.-.

"I'm going to apologize to Kyle tomorrow."

"Really? I'm so happy Stan!"

"It's… overdue. And I've been acting like a complete asshole." Stan flopped back on his bed, holding his cell to his ear.

"I can't really argue with you."

"Gee, thanks Wendy. You're supposed to be on my side."

"I am, Stan. I am. But… you have to admit, this situation really has gotten out of control. I understand your feelings, but I'm still convinced that Kyle didn't do this to spite you. He really loves you, Stan."

"I know. Look, I'll see you tomorrow. I have to figure out what I'm going to say to him."

"Ok. I love you Stan."

"Love you too."

He flipped his phone shut, and stared up at the ceiling. Enough was enough. He was going to own up to his mistakes.

"I overreacted," he said softly to the empty room. "I got upset when I thought that he changed because he wasn't happy with our friendship… but I got scared that I was attracted to him. I'm… I'm attracted to him."

He breathed in a shaky breath. This was going to be a long night.

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan stayed near Wendy all day. Neither of them talked much, to others or to each other. As the day passed, Stan grew more and more nervous. It didn't help that Cartman kept shooting him dirty looks whenever he saw him.

When the final bell rang, Stan was practically in a state of panic. He hated confrontation, especially when it involved Kyle. He got up from his seat, ignoring all of the other students around him as he made his way to his locker. Wendy was there waiting for him.

"Are you ready?"

"No," he answered miserably, but truthfully.

"It will be fine, Stan. Let's go. He agreed to meet you outside."

He followed her obediently, his heart racing and his palms sweating. He didn't want to do this, but he knew he had to. He HAD to. His stomach twisted uncomfortably.

When they walked outside, he spotted Kyle almost instantly. He was standing by Kenny and Cartman.

"Wendy…" he said, his voice sounding faint. "Do you think that you can take Kenny and Cartman, and let me talk to Kyle alone?"

"Sure… I think it's better that way," she said, her voice strong and supportive. "Come on. Let's walk there together, and then I'll take the boys away."

He felt a bit more confident. Wendy was amazing, and he knew that no matter what, she would always be there for him. After all, she had put up with him for this long. He walked boldly up to his former group, his heart still pounding but his nerves calmed somewhat.

The three of them watched Stan and Wendy as they came up. Out of all of them, Kenny's face was the friendliest. Kyle had a sour look on his face that didn't come across as welcome and Cartman…. Well, Cartman looked like he would kill him if he had the chance.

"H-Hey guys," Stan greeted awkwardly.

"Hey," Kenny replied. The others stayed silent.

"Look," Wendy took over. "Kenny? Cartman? I think Stan and Kyle should talk alone, so why don't we go over there and wait for them? Come on."

"I don't want to go anywhe-"

"Shut up, Cartman," Kenny warned, shooting him a look. "Let's go."

Cartman looked from between Kyle and Stan, and scowled. He shot Stan one last dirty look before reluctantly following Wendy and Kenny back toward the school.

Kyle crossed his arms over his chest, looking directly at Stan. Stan swallowed.

"S-so, I… I wanted to apologize."

Kyle pursed his lips, not offering a reply. Stan took a deep breath.

"I'm… sorry. I acted like a complete asshole. I should have apologized a long time ago. I'm so sorry Kyle."

Kyle was silent for a moment, Stan's apology hanging in the air. He studied his friend's face, trying to read the expression there.

"Stan," Kyle began. "Do you know why I'm upset with you?"

Stan blinked.

"I came out to you, Stan. You were the first person I came out to, and you fucking tore me down. Out of everyone, I thought that you would have understood. I thought that you would be there for more. But you weren't. Instead, you pretty much said you were disgusted by me. Hell, you even called me a fag! Then, to make matters worse, you go and tell other people. I thought that you were my best friend… I would have never thought you capable of doing any of that!"

"I… I know, Kyle… I…. I'm so sorry. I don't expect you to forgive me… I… I seriously fucked up, Kyle, and I'm so sorry…"

"You know what probably hurts even above all else? That you didn't trust me. You thought that I had changed, but in reality, Stan, I haven't. I'm the same Kyle I've always been. Look… before camp, I felt lost. I felt like every day, I had expectations that I had to uphold. For example, I had to be a good student, because otherwise my parents would be upset when I didn't get into a good school and become a lawyer like my dad. I used to want that! I used to want to study, get good grades, and go to law school. But I changed my mind. But instead of admitting it, I continued to follow that path that had been set out for me. I played the part because it was expected of me. I was miserable. But going to that camp made me realize that I couldn't just live up to my parents' expectations and ignore my own wants and needs. So I changed my clothes. I mean, shit, Stan, it wasn't so much about making a statement to South Park as it was to myself – I felt like changing my clothes was a liberation, not a statement of defiance. I did it for myself, not for this school and not for this town."

Stan listened closely to Kyle's explanation, feeling stupid and humiliated. Kyle continued.

"Stan, our fight had a lot to do with miscommunication, and I'm sorry I didn't explain myself better. Had I been completely upfront about this whole ordeal, then maybe you wouldn't have felt like I had turned my back on you. You're my best friend, and I didn't realize that my actions would make you feel like I had betrayed you. So I'm sorry as well, Stan."

"Kyle…. Fuck, don't apologize to me," Stan sighed, shaking his head and looking away. "Kyle, this whole thing is my fault. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Well, maybe punching you wasn't really the right way to go."

Stan chuckled a bit, glancing at Kyle. Kyle smiled at him.

"Kyle, I'm sorry. I blew everything out of proportion. I wasn't thinking about you, or anyone else… I was just being selfish."

"I can forgive you." Kyle put a hand on Stan's shoulder. "We've been through a lot, and we can make it through this, too." He squeezed his shoulder gently. It felt warm and…

Oh, shit. Suddenly Stan blanched. Kyle looked shocked.

"Stan? Stan? Are you ok? Holy shit dude, you look sick."

Stan shook his head, moving away from Kyle's hand. "I'm fine, Kyle…" he croaked.

Kyle paused. "Do I… gross you out?"

He shook his head even harder, but his stomach lurched so he had to look away.

"I fucking gross you out!"

"No, it's not like that, Kyle…" This wasn't happening.

"Then why the hell do you look like you're going to be sick?"

"Kyle, I… That's not what this is."

"Then what is it?"

"I…" He couldn't say it. There was no way. It would jeopardize any hope that he had of becoming friends with Kyle again. It would also put his relationship with Wendy in danger, and Stan wouldn't let that happen.

Kyle pursed his lips. "What?" he demanded angrily. "Is this why you freaked out when I told you? And why you called me a fag, and told your friends? Because you're bothered that I'm gay?"

"No! Kyle, please believe me. It doesn't bother me that you're gay!"

"Then tell me why you freaked out, when I first told you and just now."

"I… I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just can't."

Kyle frowned, and then reached forward again to touch Stan's arm. Stan instinctively jerked away before he could stop himself. They both froze, Stan staring at Kyle with wide eyes, and Kyle looking as if he had just been slapped in the face.

"Y… You asshole," Kyle muttered, looking at him disbelievingly.

"K-Kyle, no, it's not what it looks like."

"Then explain it to me."

He had nothing to say.

"You know, I can't fucking believe you. How can someone who claims to be my friend be sickened by me?"

Stan was overwhelmed. He didn't know what to say, and he didn't know what to do. Everything was falling apart. "Kyle!" he begged. "Please!"

"Fuck off, Stan!"

"Trust me, please!"

"How can I?"

Stan could feel his defenses come up, and he couldn't stop it. "You're just as bad as me!" he accused, his anger starting to build. "You accused me of not trusting you when you came back from camp, but you're just as unwilling to trust me now!"

"Because you're about to fucking puke just because I touched you!"

"I'm telling you that it isn't what it looks like!"

Stan could vaguely hear running footsteps approaching, but he ignored them.

"Well then explain to me exactly what's going on!"

"I already told you I can't!"

"Why the fuck not?"

"Just because!"

"Oh, just because? Why didn't you just say so?"

"You know, go fuck yourself, Kyle. This isn't all about you."

"Excuse me?"

"Whoa, whoa, guys!" Kenny cried out, quickly putting his body in between each of them, successfully preventing Kyle's angry lunge forward.

It was at that point that things got a little crazy. It happened so fast that it was like a blur. Kyle was shouting at him, and he was shouting back. Kenny was trying to shout above them that they both needed to calm the fuck down. Stan could hear someone else shouting, but he wasn't sure where it was coming from.

Kyle and Stan struggled to get around Kenny, and the lithe blonde was only able to hold them back for so long. Finally, Stan broke through, and jumped at Kyle. The three of them fell, rolling on the ground.

"Fuck, Stan!" Kenny cursed, scrambling up to try to separate them again.

Stan and Kyle weren't throwing punches this time, probably because they had both learned their lesson. Also, Stan didn't really want to hurt Kyle. He pinned him down, straddling him and shouting in his face. They both shouted, neither hearing each other's words. Kenny grabbed at Stan, yelling at him to get off of Kyle, but Stan didn't listen, and shoved his blond friend roughly.

Stan didn't really notice right away what was going on, but the loud honk and sickening thump made him look up and freeze. A car screeched to a halt, and he could see the blood splattered all over the hood of the car and the road.

He heard a sound that sounded like an enraged animal, but he wasn't really sure where it was coming from. All he could understand in that moment of shock was the fact that his friend was smeared all along the pavement.

And it had been his fault.

"Oh my god," he whispered, his hands clutching tightly at Kyle's shirt. "I-I killed Kenny…"


	15. Chapter 15

Kenny had gotten used to the idea of getting killed. It had been a curse that had always been a part of his life. He had discovered a long time ago that trying to prevent his own demise was a waste of time. Death would always find him. But a part of Kenny was always hopeful that the deaths would come less and less. Each time he came back to life, he tried to believe that it had been the last time he would die.

But he had no such luck. The only good thing about his curse was that he always came back. But every time that he stared death in the eye, Kenny feared that he would never awake again.

The whole phenomenon was shrouded in mystery. Kenny never really knew when would be the last time he'd die, or the last time he'd awaken. In fact, he didn't even know why he would return after such brutal deaths. As far as he knew, he was the only person on Earth who had the ability. The worse part about dying was that his friends could never remember it happening. Sure, Kyle recorded all of his deaths diligently, but it still wasn't the same.

The crazy thing about dying was that it didn't feel violent, even though his deaths almost always were. Whenever the accidents happened, he always felt a sense of warmth envelope him before slipping into nonexistence. It used to scare him shitless, that feeling that it was all over in one second. But he found that he preferred it to the times when he was injured and slowly bled to death. Those times were painful, and he didn't really appreciate pain all that much.

When Stan had shoved him and he stumbled back into the street, he knew instantly what was about to happen. Kenny died often enough to know the signs. He heard the car honk, and he glanced in its direction. It was too close for him to do anything. He quickly glanced at the others. Stan, Kyle, and Wendy hadn't noticed yet. Only Cartman was staring right at him, and despite the distance, Kenny could tell that his face was pale and his eyes wide. Cartman knew just as well as he did what was happening.

Time seemed to slow down. He turned back to the situation at hand. He watched as the car slammed into his body, and he was flown up on top of the hood. He bounced, and bounced again. His vision blurred, his body rolled, and suddenly he was on the pavement. He could see the familiar sight of his blood, and as he closed his eyes, he could faintly hear Stan's frail, shocked voice.

"Oh my god… I-I killed Kenny…"

Kenny almost smiled at the irony. His friends had accidently killed him before, but this time, Kenny knew that the accident was more significant. He heard a scream of rage, his consciousness slowly fading and the warmth enveloping his body.

"You bastard!" came the expected response, but it seemed far away.

He wasn't scared, but damn, he was kind of sick of dying. But then again, there wasn't much he could do about it.


	16. Chapter 16

Cartman had always been an angry boy growing up. He spent most of his time shouting demands at his mom and yelling insults at his friends. But there were only a few times when Cartman had gotten truly pissed off.

It was as if it had all happened in slow motion. Kenny had started to run up to the boys when trouble first became apparent. They couldn't hear what was being said, but they had started to argue, and Kenny muttered something about stubborn assholes before taking off. Cartman wasn't too worried; Kyle and Stan had yelled at each other in the past, and nothing really came of it. But when Kenny arrived at the scene, things started to fall apart. Kyle and Stan both tried to get around Kenny at the other. Wendy shouted at them to stop, and had started to run toward them. Cartman followed.

He was halfway to them when it happened. They had fallen, and Stan was screaming at Kyle. He could hear him, but he couldn't understand the words. Kenny tried to pry Stan off of Kyle when the unthinkable happened – Stan shoved Kenny, and he stumbled into the street.

Cartman knew it was going to happen seconds before it did. He opened his mouth to warn Kenny, but they both knew it was too late. They locked eyes for a second, and Cartman felt a shiver of fear trail down his spine. So many things had happened lately that could have disrupted the delicate balance that Kenny walked between life and death. What if he didn't wake this time? What if that was the last he'd see of his best friend?

And then the car slammed into Kenny, and Cartman watched in enraged silence at Kenny bounced over the hood and slammed into the pavement. There was so much blood. His friend was dead.

He snapped. He was angrier than he had been in a long time. And he knew exactly who to blame. He screamed, enraged at the injustice, his vision blurring, and ran toward Kyle and Stan, who were still frozen on the ground, staring after Kenny.

"You bastard!" Kyle shouted, his eyes still locked on Kenny's lifeless form.

"AAAARRRRGGGGHHH!" Cartman roared, slamming into Stan. Stan flew off of Kyle, and Cartman landed on top of him. He started punching him, his brain only faintly acknowledging Kyle and Wendy's yelling behind him.

"He's going to kill him! Make him stop!" Wendy shrieked.

"Cartman!"

His blood boiled. Stan didn't deserve to live. He had caused so many problems. Kyle was shouting at him, grabbing onto his arms, but he couldn't slow him down. Stan killed Kenny. He wanted Stan punished for everything he had ever done, and he could easily do so.

Kyle suddenly grabbed onto his face and forced him to look at him. His eyes were intense – scared, sad, and determined. Kyle's eyes were the only thing that didn't seem blurry.

"Cartman, stop," he said firmly yet softly.

And he did. His body stilled, which surprised him given the intense anger that seemed to permeate his entire being. His breath was ragged, and he realized his hands were shaking. Kyle's fingertips were soft against his skin, but they too seemed to tremble, if only just slightly.

"He killed Kenny," he croaked.

"Yeah, I know, but it was an accident, Cartman," Kyle said evenly. "Come on, get off of him."

He numbly let Kyle help him off of Stan, who was groaning and clutching at his bloody face. Wendy quickly dropped to her boyfriend's side, crying and dabbing at his face gingerly with the corner of her shirt.

Cartman felt sick.

He sat next to Kyle, trying to slow his breathing and calm down. He refused to look back at Stan or the road. Kyle placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and Cartman was suddenly hit with the realization that Kyle was the most amazing person he knew.

Cartman sniffed, his eyes wet from grief and anger. He went to wipe away the tears, but his hands were covered in Stan's blood. He stared at them for a second, feeling strangely satisfied. Kyle reached over and wiped one of his tears away. Cartman pulled his eyes away from his still-shaking hands to look at Kyle.

Finally, his vision was starting to focus. He noted how insanely pale Kyle looked, and how his shirt was crumpled and soiled. His hair was sticking up strangely on one side, and he certainly didn't look as calm as his voice portrayed him to be. He gingerly wiped another tear from Cartman's eye, his thumb lightly brushing against his skin.

"This is going to end," Kyle muttered, the words sounding tired but determined.

Kyle pulled away from him and stood, facing all of them. "This is going to end," he repeated, his voice gaining even more strength. "We can't keep doing this. We're destroying what was once a good friendship. Hell, Kenny just died because of it. What the fuck is wrong with us?" He looked between them all, but no one offered up an answer.

Cartman glanced at Stan and Wendy. Wendy had stilled in trying to clean up Stan's face, and he was holding his jacket sleeve to his nose, most likely trying to stop it from bleeding. Stan looked pale, and Cartman was glad.

"I'm done. I'm fucking done. If we don't fix this now, and I mean, right now, we're screwed. We have too much good history between each other to let it all end like this. We are going to band together, like it or not. We are going to fucking get over ourselves. Stan – I'm gay. Get over it. Cartman – I know you want to kill Stan. Hell, I fucking want to kill him too. But you can't. And you won't. And for me… I accept that you're homophobic, Stan. I'm over it. And I forgive you for killing Kenny, because it was an accident. This fight is just as much my fault as it is yours. So I'm sorry for everything."

"I'm sorry too," Stan responded weakly, his voice sounding a bit nasal. "For everything."

"Cartman?"

"What do I have to be sorry for?"

"Cartman!"

"He fucking killed Kenny!"

"It was an accident."

"He was a douche bag to you."

"True, but he apologized."

"Apologizing won't bring Kenny back."

Kyle closed his eyes, obviously frustrated. "Cartman, I swear to god, you better apologize right now."

Normally Cartman would have told Kyle to go fuck himself, but even in his angered state, he knew that probably wouldn't be the smartest solution. He didn't want to push Kyle away, especially now.

"M'sorry," he grumbled.

Stan blinked in shock, looking between Cartman and Kyle. Cartman just wanted to punch him in the face again.

-.-.-.-.-.

"I know your usual answer, but I'm still going to ask anyway… do you want to talk about it?"

Immediately following the incident, they had all decided to split up so that they wouldn't kill each other. Cartman had quietly asked Kyle to come home with him. He didn't want to be alone, and for some reason, Kyle's presence seemed to calm his angry mind. They hadn't talked the whole walk to Cartman's, but they continued to be silent even after arriving. Now, they were in Cartman's room.

He wasn't sure how long they had been there. He couldn't stop thinking about all of the bullshit that had been going on lately. Most of all, he couldn't get the image of Kenny out of his mind.

There had been so much blood.

Kyle must have gotten bored. Cartman couldn't blame him.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. He was lying on his bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Kyle was sitting, not looking at him. "I mean, I can't stop thinking about everything, but… talking isn't going to change anything."

"I guess you're right," Kyle replied.

More silence. Cartman didn't know what to say. What could he possibly say after a day like today?

"Well," Kyle sighed, falling back to lie next to him. "All I know is that this whole situation sucks."

Cartman snorted. "That's the understatement of the year." He glanced at his friend.

Kyle smiled, turning his head to look at him. "At least we have each other."

Cartman pursed his lips, looking back at the ceiling. "I would have killed him had you not been there."

"I know. I could tell by the look on your face."

"Did it scare you?"

"A little. But… to be honest, Cartman? I knew you would stop if I asked."

"How could you know something like that? I was really ticked off."

"I know because I trust you."

He looked back at Kyle. They locked eyes, and Cartman felt his stomach do the familiar flop it so often did in the presence of the red-head. He rolled onto his side, facing Kyle. Then, they stared for a while, neither moving nor making a sound.

He could tell that Kyle was nervous. Kyle licked his lips, and Cartman couldn't help but glance at his mouth.

Suddenly, Cartman couldn't take it anymore. He slowly leaned forward to see what Kyle would do. Kyle's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed a delightful shade of pink. Cartman took this as a good sign, so he leaned further in, closed his eyes, and brushed his lips against Kyle's.

It tickled a little, especially since Kyle's bottom lip was trembling slightly. He leaned a bit closer, kissing him gently. Kyle immediately kissed back. Cartman deepened the kiss, and Kyle brushed his cheek with his fingertips. It felt warm.

His hands quickly flew to Kyle's hair. God he wanted to do that for such a long time. He needed to feel Kyle; he was hurting, and Kyle could offer him the comfort that he so desperately sought. He played with Kyle's curls, while he flicked Kyle's bottom lip with his tongue. Kyle made a wonderful gasping noise, and opened his mouth for him.

Fuck, Kyle was hot.

He quickly slid his tongue in, exploring Kyle's mouth eagerly. Somehow it all felt right. Everything felt right. His hand trailed over Kyle's cheek, and down his neck. Kyle squirmed a bit, and shit, Cartman felt so turned on. His hand continued its journey down, and settled around his waist. He dug his fingers in gently, possessively…

"AH!" Kyle yelped, suddenly jerking away from Carman.

"W-what?" Cartman gasped, pulling away as well as Kyle grasped at his side.

"S-shit," Kyle muttered. "I-it's nothing…"

"Bullshit, it's nothing! What the hell is wrong?"

Kyle just shook his head. "It's not a big deal…"

Cartman instantly knew that it WAS a big deal, and he wasn't going to stop until he found out what the hell happened to his Jew. He grabbed at Kyle's shirt, which caused the red-head to squawk in surprise.

"Cartman! What the hell?"

He tugged the shirt up to expose Kyle's stomach and ribs, and he growled when he saw the skin there. There was a large bruise over Kyle's right rib, right where Cartman had grabbed him. There were also smaller bruises around…

"AH! Cartman!" Kyle protested as Cartman forced him up and tugged off his shirt. "What are you-"

"Who did this?" he demanded, seeing the bruises that also covered Kyle's arms.

Kyle stared at him.

"I know it wasn't Stan. Tell me who did this to you."

Kyle lay on his back, staring up at Cartman with wide eyes. He swallowed. "A group of seniors…"

"Which seniors?"

"That guy who almost attacked Jimmy, and also his friends…"

"Why did they attack you? Because you got that dumb fuck in trouble?"

"No… they did it because I'm gay," he explained. "Also… because I'm the reason the fad started up in the first place."

"When?"

"Um… the first time was Monday…"

"First time?"

"They've done it a few times now…"

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

"Because I… I… fuck." Kyle shook his head. "I don't know why… I should have told you, and I knew that before, but I just didn't. I'm sorry…"

Cartman sighed. He was angry that Kyle didn't tell him, but he couldn't really stay that mad at him. "Tell me all about it. Tell me every instance and what they did to you."

Kyle swallowed. "Well, they didn't hurt me, but last week Thursday they approached me. Just before things got too out of hand, Stan showed up and told them to leave me alone. Stan and I fought after they left. That Friday was when Michael antagonized Jimmy in the lunch room. So Monday, Michael and his friends came by my locker."

"What time?"

"Before my math class. They corned me… Michael grabbed me by the throat. It didn't really leave much of a mark. But just before he left, he hit me with his knee in the ribs."

Cartman suspiciously eyed Kyle's throat but let him continue.

"Then Tuesday, right before my last class, they approached me again. It was then that I got these." He indicated the bruises around his ribs. "Then today, they shoved me around a bit, but nothing as bad as Tuesday…"

Cartman silently fumed. How dare those assholes touch Kyle!

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," he growled, studying the bruises critically.

"I'm sorry," Kyle apologized again, his voice soft and sincere. "I really should have told you."

Cartman made a frustrated sound in his throat, settling back down on the bed next to Kyle. "I suppose I can forgive you. But the next time someone even THINKS about touching you, tell me."

Kyle snorted. "How will I be able to tell when someone is THINKING that?"

"You'll know. They'll be giving you a strange look."

Kyle chuckled. "You're so weird."

"Tell me though. Next time."

"Hopefully there won't be a next time… but I'll tell you."

"I'm going to kill those sons of bitches."

"Cartman, please don't. I don't want to be visiting you in jail for the rest of my life. But I agree that something needs to be done."

"I'll take care of it."

"I told you that I don't want you to go to jail, Cartman," Kyle warned.

"I won't go to jail. I'll just take care of it."

"No killing anyone?"

"Promise."

Kyle pursed his lips, but didn't push the issue.

They fell into silence again. Cartman started thinking about that day's earlier events, and suddenly frowned.

"So what did you two start fighting about?"

"Huh?"

"Well, we were thinking that you were making up. It looked like things were going well… and then you two started fighting all of a sudden."

"Yeah… it's sad, really, because we both apologized for everything, but then I freaked out. I touched his shoulder, and he looked like he was going to puke, so I asked him if I grossed him out because I was gay… He denied it, but when I demanded an explanation, he couldn't answer. I refused to believe him when he told me it wasn't it… Things just blew out of proportion. Had I just kept my mouth shut and not brought it up, Kenny wouldn't…" His voice trailed off, cracking slightly.

"It's not your fault." Cartman refused to believe that Kyle had anything to do with Kenny's death.

"But I-"

"No. It's not your fault."

Kyle nodded. Cartman wasn't really sure if Kyle believed him or not, but at least he wasn't arguing the fact.

"Kyle… Stan isn't grossed out by you."

"You don't think?"

"No. We've been telling you from the start – he's fucking attracted to you."

"No, he isn't."

"Yes, he is. Why do you refuse to see it?"

"Because, Cartman. Stan is one of the straightest people I know!"

"Well, you're wrong. He totally has the hots for you, and he doesn't know how to handle it."

"You really think that's why?"

"Shit, Kyle, sometimes you can be so stupid for someone who is so smart. Think about it. When Stan liked Wendy when we were little, he'd puke around her all the time. And when they started dating again in middle school, he would still puke around her, albeit not as often. He's gotten a handle on it since entering high school, but that's with WENDY. Then suddenly, you come back from camp all mega-sexy, and he couldn't handle it. From the second he first saw you he was about to lose it. Kyle, he's ATTRACTED to you, and he doesn't know what to do."

Kyle was quiet as he contemplated his words. Cartman just sighed. Kyle and Stan always had a close relationship, and a part of him worried that after all of this was over, Kyle would go back to being by Stan's side all the time. He didn't want to lose his friend to Stan, especially after what had happened. Cartman always pretended to be confident, but underneath it all, he was scared shitless.

He didn't want to lose Kyle. He loved him too much.


	17. Chapter 17

Ever since that stupid list was made back in elementary school, Kyle was always a bit self-conscious about his looks. He didn't believe he was good looking. It had come out that the list had been rigged, and he had, in fact, been higher on the list; however, this knowledge didn't change Kyle's low opinion of his looks. Even after returning from camp, his self image hadn't changed much.

When his friends had first seen him after camp, Kenny had insisted that he had become hot. Kyle didn't believe him. When Stan showed the signs of being attracted to him, Kyle had turned a blind eye. The idea had seemed so ridiculous that he hadn't even given it a second thought. And now that Cartman was restating what should have been the obvious, Kyle realized for the first time how blind he was.

"Kyle, he's ATTRACTED to you, and he doesn't know what to do."

His low self-esteem in regards to his looks didn't want him to believe it, but all of the signs pointed to it. Stan was attracted to him. It was hard to believe.

Why would he be attracted to him?

Kyle then reflected on what Cartman had just said. "… 'Mega-sexy'?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow and looking at Cartman.

Cartman cleared his throat awkwardly, and Kyle could have sworn his cheeks flushed. "I might be understating your hotness level a bit when I say 'mega-sexy.'"

Kyle snorted.

"No, seriously Kyle. You've always been the hottest guy I've known."

"N-no way…"

"Seriously."

Kyle's face felt like it was on fire. That was probably the most embarrassing thing someone had ever said to him. It felt good, even though he felt uncomfortable at the same time.

"I-I think you're hot too," he stuttered.

It was Cartman's turn to snort. "Yeah, right. I'm the fattest kid in school."

"You are not. You're not as big as you were when we were growing up. Besides… I like you the way you are."

"You're seriously attracted to me?"

"Yes." They locked eyes, and Kyle smiled. It was now or never. "I think you're super awesome."

"Same here."

Kyle inched a bit closer to Cartman, and he took the hint. Soon, they were kissing, and it felt just as great as it did the first time. Kyle wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him half on top of him. Cartman touched him gently, as if afraid of hurting him again.

Kyle felt that no matter how shitty things were, they would get through it. Together, they would get through it.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle could sense the tension in the air, but that was to be expected. Hell, he was tense himself. He had told them about the meeting that morning, and none of them had been happy to attend. However, all of them had shown up, which was the important thing. Kyle knew that meant that they were willing to band together to deal with the problem at hand.

"Ok," he began. "So we all know why we're here."

"I object to Stan's presence," Cartman announced grumpily.

Kyle pursed his lips, glancing at Stan who was glaring at Cartman. "Cartman, we talked about this last night."

Cartman grumbled but said nothing further.

"Wendy?" Kyle turned toward her. She was sitting next to Stan, both of them sitting as far away from Cartman as possible. They had taken over an empty classroom. Kyle was sitting on the teacher's desk. Cartman stood grumpily to the side, and Stan and Wendy sat in student desks. "Why don't you start?"

She cleared her throat, tucking a black strand of hair behind her ear. "The school is slowly becoming divided over this fad thing. There are officially three groups. One group is for those who support redefining the self. They think that they can suddenly chose who they want to be. The opposing group believes that people should just be who they are. They don't think that people should decide to arbitrarily change personalities. The third group consists of those in the school who are undecided. Now, I propose that we are a fourth group. We don't think that people should pretend to be someone they aren't just because society has dictated their roles."

Kyle nodded. "The bullying problem has slowly been getting worse. The factions are starting to gather and form leaders. Butters got beaten up earlier today, and had to be sent home. I caught a glimpse of him – it wasn't pretty."

He glanced at Cartman. Cartman gave him a look. Kyle sighed.

"It has even spread amongst us. I've been attacked a few times because I was the one who started this fad."

"What?" Wendy gasped, and Stan sat up a bit. "Kyle, that's horrible!"

Kyle shook his head. "I'm not saying it to get sympathy. I'm just telling you so you know the situation. But the bullying isn't just the anti side. The pro-change side, I guess is what you could call them… they have started getting violent as well. Stan?"

"The problem has started to spread outside the school. In fact, almost the entire town has already decided what side they support. I watched the news last night, and it seems that the mayor is really concerned about what's going to happen. She made a special announcement, begging people to respect others decisions on how they want to live their lives, but I don't think it made much of an impact."

"Ok." Kyle pursed his lips, studying all of them. "It's time we do something. We can't just sit around and watch our town self-destruct. I started this mess, and by god, I'll finish it. But I need everyone's help. I think if all of us band together, we can put things back to the way it was. In order to do that, we're going to have to put aside our differences. We're going to have to actually forgive each other for the shit that's been going down."

"I already told you my opinion on that matter," Cartman stated unapologetically.

Kyle sighed. "Ok, so Cartman is going to have to be the exception, but that's not so out of the ordinary anyway, right?"

"I can live with it, if that's what you mean," Stan muttered.

"Ok. So… I have a plan, at least until we formulate an actual course of action. In order to understand the situation more, we're going to have to get inside the minds of both of the groups. Stan, you're already friends with those guys who are in the anti-change group."

"We really need to find less-gay names for these groups," Cartman complained. Kyle ignored him and continued.

"I think that you should continue to be friends with them, and pretend that you're one of them. It shouldn't be too hard, because you definitely agree with their ideas. You'll tell Wendy everything that they say, and she'll report back to us. We are going to keep pretending that we aren't talking. If anyone sees you socializing with me, then your cover will be completely blown. If you need to talk to any of us, we'll do so outside of school." He took a deep breath. "I will infiltrate the opposing side. I don't agree with them at all; however, the students will easily buy that I'm on that side. They will buy it more than any of the rest of you. Wendy – I'm hoping that you'll try to convince students who are undecided or those who refuse to get involved to join our cause. We need to get as many people willing to stop this war before it actually happens. Cartman is going to be our activist outside the school. He's going to be openly advocating our side. He will also be communicating with the mayor.

"For now, I think this is our best plan of attack. If Wendy and Cartman are unsuccessful, Stan and I will be able to tell immediately. We'll also be able to report to the others if our groups are planning anything. If things start escalating, we'll have to come up with some other ideas."

"I think this is a good plan," Wendy commented. "Do we start tomorrow?"

"Yes."

Stan nodded. "It sounds good to me."

"The only thing is we're going to have to limit interaction during school. Now, Stan – that shouldn't be hard to stay away from me and Cartman. However, you and Wendy are going to have to distance yourselves a bit. She's going to be actively advocating against both groups, so it's a conflict of interest."

Stan and Wendy looked at each other, and then nodded. "I think we can handle it," Wendy replied.

"In turn, Cartman and I are going to have to do the same." Kyle looked at Cartman, and the other boy was scowling deeply. However, they had talked about it last night, so Cartman didn't complain.

"That shouldn't be too hard either, should it?" Stan questioned.

Kyle quickly answered, since Cartman looked like he was going to reply. "Cartman and I have been getting along rather well lately."

Stan blinked. "Oh."

"Don't act so surprised," Cartman grumbled angrily.

Kyle pursed his lips. A part of him wanted to tell Stan about him and Cartman, but he also realized that it wasn't just his decision to make. He also realized that due to his old friendship with Stan, he naturally wanted to share intimate details with him. However, due to their recent fallout, that wasn't necessarily an option anymore; at least, not yet.

Besides, despite what happened last night, he still wasn't exactly sure how to label his relationship with Cartman.

"So, does anyone have any questions?" Kyle glanced at each of them. No one said anything. "Ok. So, we'll communicate mostly through text messaging, and if we need to meet, we'll set up a meeting at someone's house. Even around town we should try to be careful. If anything comes up, we should tell the group. Even if it seems insignificant, share it."

"Got it," Wendy answered.

"Alright. Well, I guess I'll see you all around."

Kyle slid off the desk, glancing at Cartman. "You coming over tonight?"

"Yeah…"

"I'll meet you there. I'm going to talk to Stan for a second."

"Fine, but don't do anything stupid."

Kyle rolled his eyes, shoving him playfully. "Go. Hey Stan! Before you go, can I talk to you for a second?"

Stan blinked, and glanced at Wendy. She smiled and kissed him gently on the cheek. "I'll see you later, OK?"

"K…" She waved at Kyle and slipped out of the classroom.

Kyle took a deep breath. They were alone. Kyle wasn't really sure if talking about it was really the best solution, but he was sick of missing his best friend. In fact, the whole situation was getting on his nerves. Kyle had never been an incredibly patient person, and he was ready to fix their friendship once and for all.

"So… I was talking to Cartman," he started, leaning against the teacher's desk and staring at his shoes.

Stan didn't say anything, and just waited.

"He… said that you weren't disgusted that I was gay. Is that true?"

"That's what I told you, but you didn't believe me," Stan sighed, crossing his arms across his chest.

"I know…. I'm sorry, Stan. I just… couldn't believe the alternative."

Stan looked uncomfortable, but Kyle simply continued.

"I know that this whole fight thing has been… well… it ruined everything. But I don't want it to ruin our future friendship, Stan. You and I were always best of friends, and I hope that somehow we can work past this."

"Kyle, I know what you mean, but… I don't know. Things are…"

"Weird?"

"Exactly."

Kyle thought about his next words carefully. "Stan… are you attracted to me?" He peeked up to study Stan's reaction.

Stan looked embarrassed yet slightly ill. "N-no way," he stuttered, and Kyle immediately could tell he was lying.

Kyle bit his lower lip. "Stan, it's ok if you are. It's not like I'm going to expect anything, or judge you."

Stan was shaking his head. "Kyle, I… I don't know if I'm comfortable with this."

"With what? Talking?"

"Yeah."

He had thought about what he was going to say all last night. Once he had come to terms with the idea that Stan was awkward due to attraction, Kyle immediately knew what Stan's dilemma was. And he knew that as Stan's best friend, it was his job to tell him.

"Ok… Then we won't talk about it. Just… well, I know we've been, well… shitty. But despite everything, I want you to know that you can still tell me anything. Just know that I'm here if you want to talk. But Stan… for what it's worth, I know you love Wendy. And seriously dude, you're good looking, but I'm not interested in you like that. And, I think despite any weird attraction you feel, SHE'S the one you want to be with. I mean, I'm sure you still look at some girls and think they're attractive, but that doesn't change the fact that you LOVE Wendy. So this shouldn't be any different."

Kyle only hoped that he had said the right thing. He missed his best friend.


	18. Chapter 18

"I mean, I'm sure you still look at some girls and think they're attractive, but that doesn't change the fact that you LOVE Wendy. So this shouldn't be any different."

Stan Marsh was at a loss for words. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have not realized this before?

He gaped at his friend, stunned for a moment as Kyle's words sunk in. Of course. Why did it matter if he was attracted to Kyle? Well, it mattered… but somehow what Kyle said made him feel a little better.

"Kyle?" he somehow managed to say.

"What?" Kyle blinked at him. "Are you ok?"

Unexpectedly, Stan threw himself at Kyle. Kyle gasped at the sudden movement. Stan clung onto Kyle for dear life, not caring for the sick feeling in his stomach but dutifully ignoring it.

"You're my best friend – how could I put that in jeopardy…? I'm so sorry, Kyle!"

"So… no more weirdness?"

"No more weirdness… I'm so, so, so sorry…"

Kyle chuckled a bit, hugging Stan back. "It's ok, Stan. As long as we're back to normal, I can forgive it all."

"You're the best."

Kyle smiled. "Sometimes."

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan felt like a new person. He no longer cared that he was a little bit attracted to Kyle. Ok, that wasn't completely true. But, he knew that he didn't want to dump Wendy and chose Kyle, so he knew that his attraction was just a temporary crush. Now, he could focus on the problem at hand, and he realized that it was worse than he originally thought.

He had been so preoccupied with his own problems that he didn't realize how bad the school had become. The next day, he noticed bullying all over the school. He also started paying attention to what his new 'friends' were saying, and it didn't sound good.

"We seriously need to do something about this problem," one of them muttered angrily. "Those posers are starting to really get on my nerves. We need to show them we aren't joking!"

Stan pursed his lips. "But what can we do?" he asked.

"I don't, but it has to be something big. Otherwise, they'll just continue to do it."

Stan didn't like where this was going.

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan bit his lip. It wasn't often that he found himself at this door when he was just by himself. Usually, if any of them were hanging out with Cartman, it would be with the whole group. He nervously knocked on the door, glancing around to make sure he wasn't being seen by anyone from school.

When the door opened, he was met with Cartman's scowling face.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Can I come in?"

"No."

"Come on Cartman. If anyone sees me here, my cover will be blown."

"So?"

"That would really tick Kyle off."

He expected Cartman to make a smart-ass remark along the lines of 'good,' but instead Cartman's scowl deepened.

"Fine," he said after a moment. "But don't touch anything."

Stan rolled his eyes and stepped into the entrance way. He closed the door quietly behind him, and looked at Cartman.

"So… I came here to apologize."

Cartman crossed his arms across his chest.

"I mean…" Stan continued. "I've been acting like a douche lately."

"Understatement of the fucking year, Marsh."

He bit his lip. "I'm sorry, Cartman. For being such a jerk. Plus, I'm really sorry about killing Kenny."

"If he doesn't come back within the next week, you're going to be joining him," Cartman growled angrily.

Stan blinked. "What makes you think that he won't come back? He's come back all the times before. Have you seen the size of Kyle's book?"

"True," Cartman agreed, "But that doesn't mean he'll come back this time. Especially with all the changes that have been happening. It could have screwed something up or something."

"Maybe," Stan conceded. "But I really think he'll come back. I mean, this is Kenny we're talking about."

"You better hope he does."

Stan swallowed. He usually wasn't scared of Cartman, but something about the situation made Stan rather uneasy.

"So, I… Kyle and I made up."

"I heard."

"You did?"

"He told me, dumbass."

"Oh." Stan paused. "So you guys really are getting along, huh?"

Cartman raised his eyebrow. "Jealous?"

"Hell no. It's just weird, is all. You guys hated each other for so long."

"Did we?"

"You know you did."

Cartman shrugged.

"Well, I'm glad that you're getting along," Stan added.

"Look, Stan. I'm only going to say this once, so you better pay attention. I'm super pissed that you killed Kenny, but I'm also angry that you fucked with Kyle. Right now, you're on my shit list. If you do anything else to fuck any of my friends over, including me, I'll fucking kill you. The only reason I haven't done so is because you're Kyle's best friend. So watch yourself, Marsh. If you hurt Kyle again, I swear to god you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Stan stared at Cartman, not really believing what he was saying. Since when did he and Kyle get so close? Only a few weeks ago, Cartman would have been rejoicing in the fact that Stan and Kyle had been fighting.

He was really confused.

-.-.-.-.-.

"So I saw you campaigning today."

"Yeah. I saw you too. It sucks that we can't talk at school anymore."

"Definitely. But… it's for the best, I think. Seriously, Dave and Seth are super pissed, and it sounds like they want to do something drastic."

"Like what?"

"I don't know yet, but knowing them, it can't be good." Stan chewed on his lower lip, pulling Wendy closer. They were lying on top of her bed. He had gone over to her house after his creepy visit with Cartman, and he was happy to find that she was home. He was also ecstatic that her parents weren't home either, and wouldn't be for some time. Stan relished these moments, when he had Wendy completely to himself; he felt more relaxed when they weren't sneaking around.

Wendy sighed happily. She apparently felt more relaxed as well, judging from how intense it had been.

"So…" he started again, wanting to change the subject, "I have something I kind of want to talk to you about, but… it's hard for me."

Wendy was quiet for a moment. "Ok," she said softly. "Take all the time you need."

He cleared his throat. "So, you know how I told you that Kyle and I made up yesterday?"

"Yeah?"

"Well… we kind of talked about something. And… I wasn't sure if I should tell you, but you've always told me that I should be honest with you and everything… and judging how bad my situation with Kyle got after NOT talking with him, I figured I should try something different this time."

Wendy remained silent, obviously patiently waiting for Stan to continue. And he did.

"Um… I told you why I was fighting with Kyle and everyone, but there was something else that was bothering me. I didn't tell you, because I couldn't… come to terms with it myself."

"That's ok… you're telling me now," she softly encouraged, cuddling closer. Stan knew that she must be eating this up. She always complained that Stan didn't talk about his feelings enough.

"I-I don't want you to get upset, because you're the love of my life, Wendy. I don't want anyone else other than you. But… I was upset with Kyle because I was… upset with myself. You see… I…. fuck…. Um…. This is hard for me…"

Wendy frowned, pulling away slightly. She sat up on her elbow, studying Stan's face, which only made him more nervous.

Why had he decided to tell her this again?

He continued to stutter, unable to choke out the words. As every moment passed, his courage and determination seemed to drop.

"Stan," she said softly, laying her hand on his bare chest. "Just spit it out already."

"I'm a little attracted to Kyle."

He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to look at her face. She must be disappointed, especially judging from the shocked silence that stretched between them. Oh god, why the fuck did he tell her?

"Um… ok. Is it serious?"

What?

He cracked open an eye. "Huh?"

"Is it serious?" she repeated again.

"I… well… I mean, I feel SICK around him, but… besides that. It's not like I want to sleep with him! Or… or start dating him or anything. That would be… really weird."

She pursed her lips, studying his face. "Well, as long as you aren't going to suddenly jump him or anything… I guess…. Well, this is going to take some time for me to digest this, but I suppose it's not that bad. It's not like you can help it."

"God I love you so much." He wrapped his arms around her, snuggling his face in the crook of her neck. "I'm so sorry, Wendy. You're obviously the hottest person in the world, and I love you so much. I could never leave you. My weird crush on Kyle isn't serious at all. I've always known that. It was just so scary at first. I never thought of myself as gay, and I've never looked at another guy before. To be honest, I'm not even sure WHY I thought he was attractive in the first place. I'm so sorry…"

She laughed lightly. "Stan, it's ok. I understand. Kyle suddenly got a lot more attractive since coming back from camp, so it's understandable. Besides, I don't expect you to never think someone else is attractive again, just because you're dating me. The important thing to me is that you love me, and I'm the only one you want to be with. That… makes me really happy."

He smiled, thankful for the millionth time that his girlfriend was so awesome. "Wendy?"

"Yeah?"

"I… I know this is probably not the right time to be asking this, but… Once we go through college and everything… well…. I'm not going to ask right now. But… I would love it if you would marry me some day. I can't imagine my life without you in it. And… I know that you'd say that we're still in high school, and we can't make such promises yet, but… I just love you so much, so I hope that when I actually ask you properly, you'll say yes."

She sniffed, gripping onto his arms tightly. "S-Stan… that is the most romantic thing you've ever said to me."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"S-sweet."

"Stan… you're right. I can't promise something like that now, but… but right now? The way I feel is… I love you too, and I can't imagine ever saying no if you asked me that question. So I look forward to it… when you ask me."

Stan wasn't one for poetry, or romance really. But he had to admit to himself – he felt pretty amazing at that moment. In fact, he would arguably say that it was the happiest he had ever been in his entire life.

-.-.-.-.-.

He had already determined that after one full day, he must have been blind to not see how crazy his temporary friends had been. Going into his second day on the job, however, Stan was even more aware of the danger his true friends were in.

"I seriously have a beef with that Broflovski kid," Seth grumbled angrily, setting his tray down on the lunch table.

Stan blinked, reminding himself that he couldn't stand up for his friend while he was with this crowd. "What happened?"

"I know he used to be, like, your best friend and all, but I seriously can't imagine you two hanging out. He's such a gay fucktard. I just saw him arguing with someone about the merits of expressing who you truly are or some bullshit. I mean, seriously. Those assholes aren't expressing who they are – they're pretending to be someone they aren't."

"Yeah, I totally agree," Stan lied quickly. "I mean, yeah. Kyle and I used to be friends, but this whole incident changed things."

"And what's with Wendy?" Seth continued. "Now she's playing for the other side too? Is that why you dumped her?"

"Yeah…" He swallowed. "I mean, she's not really on THEIR side per se… but she is definitely promoting staying true to the self."

"If everyone started pretending to be someone they weren't, then all hell would break loose. Hell, what the fuck am I even saying? This IS hell. Pretty soon, those idiots are going to go on some sort of psychotic rampage. We have to do something."

"It's just a matter of figuring out what," Dave grumbled.

"Do you think it's overkill if we trapped them in the school and burned them alive?"

"Um, yeah. That's a little extreme," Dave laughed. "You crazy fuck."

"Yeah, I know. But we have to think of something, and fast. The whole town is divided, and things are really tense. We have to show these idiots what they are doing to our town. They're destroying everything!"

Stan merely nodded, listening to them bicker back and forth while others in their group added their own little insights. Luckily, no plan was forming yet, but Stan was pretty sure that would change soon. After all, they were right. Something had to happen, and soon.

He just wasn't necessarily on their side.

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan bit his lip. They had all decided to meet at Kyle's place on Saturday morning in order to update each other on recent events. They went down to Kyle's basement so they wouldn't be disturbed. Stan and Wendy were sitting together, with Kyle and Cartman across from them. Cartman kept glaring at Stan, which made the raven-haired boy a bit nervous to say the least.

"They haven't really decided on what to do yet," Stan announced, trying to ignore Cartman's stare. "One guy suggested trapping them and burning down the school, but luckily the others weren't for it."

"Well that's encouraging," Kyle muttered.

"Yeah. I'll let you guys know when I know something new."

"Ok. Well, my group is talking about doing a demonstration sometime soon, to promote what they are doing to the rest of South Park," Kyle said. "But they aren't really that unified. So I'm not sure how long this demonstration is going to take to plan, and it doesn't sound like it's going to be violent. But I'm sure that if the other group catches wind of it, all hell could break loose. Wendy, what do you have to report?"

"Well," Wendy began, "First of all, I talked with the school principal, and a ton of kids have been sent down there due to bullying and fighting. They aren't able to catch all of the students who are doing this. Just yesterday, I guess there were 8 kids alone who were sent to the nurse's office, and three of them were sent home because they were so upset or hurt. It's starting to look a bit dangerous. Second, my campaigns are met with a lot of hostility. I mean, I'm basically saying that both groups are wrong. However, I've had a few people talk to me privately about wanting to support me. They agree that this whole thing is stupid, and that people should just be themselves. However, I think some students are worried about associating with me, because then they will be targeted by both groups."

"Hm," Kyle thought, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "That's not good. I guess we should have thought of that."

"It's ok. I'm going to keep fighting. There must be some brave people in the student body."

"Cartman? Want to tell the others how things have been going for you?"

Cartman cleared his throat. "Well, I talked with the mayor about the issues, and she updated me on some disturbing things. The adults are starting to really separate, and ten people have already been arrested for fighting. She is also being bothered by both groups to support them. She, of course, refuses, so things are looking a bit hostile. She doesn't want me to start speaking out against anyone, because she thinks that it's dangerous for a kid to get involved. So, she's not going to be much help to me."

The four of them sat in silence for a bit, processing what their friends had reported and quietly trying to figure out their next move. After some time, Kyle finally sighed.

"Well, I guess all we can do is keep trying. Maybe Cartman can figure out another way to appeal to the masses without the mayor's help. Wendy, you can keep protesting – if things start to look too dangerous, though, we'll call if off. I don't want you to get hurt. As for Stan and me, we'll continue to monitor."

"Sounds good," Stan agreed. "But seriously, you guys… don't you think things are starting to get a bit dangerous?"

"Unfortunately, it's the risk we have to take," Kyle said darkly, looking at him from across the table. "This is getting out of hand, and we need to stop it somehow. If we don't, then no one will."

Stan nodded. Kyle spoke the truth, but he still couldn't help but feel apprehensive about their future. He knew, however, that all of them were feeling the same way. It made him feel a bit better knowing that his friends and he were in this together, no matter what would happen.

-.-.-.-.-.

Author's Note: I want to extend my greatest and most sincere thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far and will continue to do so. I seriously can't express the words to describe how I feel about your kind words and encouragements. I also want to take the time to apologize to you all right now, as I have not been able to respond to most of your reviews and comments. My life has been a bit crazy as of late, and I usually only have time to upload the latest chapter before attending to other matters. But I want you all to know that your words are cherished, and that I love every single one of your reviews. Thank you so much for the support and dedication you have all shown me. I promise to try to answer and thank you each personally, but in case I can't do that in a timely manner, I hope that this short thank you will suffice. I can't even count the many times that a review put a huge smile on my face, and seriously made me feel like a million dollars. So thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope that you continue to enjoy this fic, and that I don't let you all down!


	19. Chapter 19

He was over this whole "dying" thing. He had to admit; sometimes he would have some fucked up adventures when he was dead. Well, they would almost never be pleasant, that was sure. And ,well… the dying part was pretty horrible too. And waking up to find that no one even noticed he had been missing. In fact, he hated the whole situation, every time.

And this time was no different.

Yeah, he was definitely over it.


	20. Chapter 20

"This is getting out of hand, and we need to stop it somehow. If we don't, then no one will."

Cartman pursed his lips. He didn't like the situation one bit. Although he didn't care as much about the danger Stan and Wendy were putting themselves in, he couldn't help but worry a bit about their safety. However, he was most concerned about Kyle. He was walking around that school with a big target on his back. He had been the one who started this trend, and Cartman could sense the resentment for it within the hallways of South Park High. It didn't help that the whole school knew Kyle's sexual orientation, which also caused some tension between both groups at school. Cartman was aware of the danger that all of them were in, but he also understood that there was nothing left to do.

They all did.

-.-.-.-.-.

He didn't really pay attention to the random movie Kyle had put in. But by the glazed look on Kyle's face, neither was he.

"This movie is lame," Cartman finally announced.

"Huh?" Kyle blinked, raising his head from where it had been resting on his arms. He was sitting with his knees tucked close to his chest, his arms folded on top loosely. "Yeah, I guess I'm not really paying attention to it."

Cartman sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He could see Kyle studying him out of the corner of his eye.

"So… what do you want to do instead?" Kyle asked.

"I don't know. I can't stop fucking thinking about the whole stupid situation in this town."

"Yeah, I can't either."

"You know, this whole situation has reminded me why this town is so fucked up."

"How so?"

"I mean, our whole lives, this town has been trying to self destruct. Think about how many times this place has almost been destroyed."

"But somehow, it has always survived."

"But there is no guarantee that it will survive THIS time."

"True," Kyle agreed, "But I have faith that we'll figure out something. I mean, shit… half the time it was OUR fault that the town got in danger."

"I guess one could argue that it was our fault THIS time, too."

Kyle snorted. "It's only my fault, Cartman."

Cartman paused. Shit, that wasn't the right thing to say. "I don't think it was your fault, Kyle."

"I do. And so does the whole school, and most likely the whole town for that matter."

Cartman scowled, glaring down at his legs that were stretched out before him.

"It's ok, though. I couldn't have foreseen any of this. Besides, it wasn't as if I did this on purpose. I'm going to try not to blame myself for this. However, I DO acknowledge that none of this would have happened if I didn't do what I did. So… I don't know." He chuckled, shaking his head. "I really don't fucking know how I feel about it, I guess."

Cartman didn't really know how to comfort Kyle. He had spent his entire life making fun of the red-head, and hadn't ever tried to make him feel better. It was definitely a new experience to say the least.

He reached over and patted Kyle's arm awkwardly. Kyle blinked at him, confused at first. But then, a look of realization lit on his face, and he burst into laughter.

"Are you trying to comfort me?" he asked in between bouts of laughter.

"Shut up you stupid Jew! I don't know what to do to make you feel better!" His face felt hot.

Kyle continued to laugh. "Seriously Cartman, that's just awesome."

Cartman growled in irritation.

"No, seriously," Kyle repeated, calming down his laughter. "Thanks, dude. I appreciate it."

"Whatever."

"Really." Kyle scooted closer to him on the floor, his arm brushing up against his. "I really do. Thanks."

He glanced grumpily over at Kyle, but Kyle only smiled at him. He finally sighed. "Whatever," he repeated.

Kyle chuckled before falling silent again. Cartman frowned, seeing something out of the corner of his eye. "I think someone is going to come in."

Kyle groaned, glancing over. He quickly jumped to his feet just before the door swung open. "Hello," he greeted. "Get up, Fatass," he hissed.

"I'm a paying customer. I can do whatever I want."

He could see Kyle roll his eyes, but he didn't say anything. Cartman huffed, glancing at the customer. It was Mr. Stotch. Luckily, he didn't really engage them in conversation and instead disappeared among the aisles. Cartman slowly got to his feet.

Kyle pursed his lips, his eyes drifting where Mr. Stotch disappeared. He put his elbow on the counter, his chin in his hand.

"Bet you five bucks he rents porn," Cartman muttered softly, a smirk playing on his lips.

Kyle's sharp eyes found his. "Five bucks? You're on. There is no way he'd be willing to rent porn when we're here."

"Wanna raise it to ten bucks?"

"You really want to lose ten bucks?"

"You're just scared that I'll win."

"There is no way you'd win this one. Ten bucks it is."

Both boys fell silent as they listened to Mr. Stotch rustle around.

An idea popped into Cartman's head. "Wanna raise the stakes higher?"

"You're that confident that he'll rent porn? There is no way. I mean, shit… no one rents porn when I'm working… except Mr. Garrison."

"I'm beyond confident."

"No way."

"How about if I'm right, you suck my balls?"

"Cartman, we aren't going there again."

"Why not? You're into that."

Kyle sighed. "Shit, you are SO obsessed with that."

"Not really."

Kyle snorted. "Yes, you are. You haven't wanted to let it go since that happened."

"Well, you kind of owe me."

"I owe you nothing."

"Well, then… how about a hand job?"

"Shit Cartman…" Kyle's cheeks turned pink. "We haven't even gotten to second base yet… hell, I don't even know what we are… and suddenly you want to bet a hand job?"

"Um… yes?"

Kyle shook his head. "There is no way he'll rent porn."

"Then bet me."

"…. Fine. The winner receives a hand job from the loser."

"Sweet. Get your hand ready, Kyle, because I'm winning this."

"No. You aren't."

"Oh, Kyle… when will you admit that I'm always right and you're always a Jew?"

"Shut up. I totally got this."

Both boys fell silent as they tracked Mr. Stotch's progress through the store. Cartman liked these moments with Kyle the best.

-.-.-.-.-.

Cartman stood with his hands in his pockets as he whistled Monday morning. Stan kept giving him strange looks.

"Dude… what has gotten into you?"

"Nothing," he sang.

"Morning," Kyle said grumpily, giving Cartman a warning look.

"Why, hello Kahl. My, what a beautiful day it is."

Stan frowned.

"Don't start, Fatass."

"But Kahl, I'm only being nice."

"Don't. Start."

"What happened?" Stan asked, glancing between them.

"Nothing," Kyle quickly answered.

"You know, Kahl, I'm waiting to collect my winnings on our last bet."

"Drop it."

"Oh, Kyle," Stan groaned. "Why do you always make bets with him? What did you bet this time?"

"Nothing," Kyle repeated.

"But Kaaahl…"

"I said drop it, Fatass!"

Stan glanced from one to the other.

"Kyle and I made a bet on Saturday night while he was working… Mr. Stotch came in, and I betted that he would rent porn. Kyle said there was no way that he would rent porn with both of us standing there."

"And… he actually bought porn? With both of you there?"

"Yep! But I knew he would. Because I'm awesome."

"So what did you bet?"

Cartman grinned. "You really want to know?"

Stan paused, glancing at Kyle and then back again. "Actually… no. No I don't."

"I can't believe that pervert," Kyle muttered between clenched teeth.

"And not only did he rent ONE movie, but he rented TWO. I think I should collect double for that, don't you agree Stan?"

"Don't pull me into this," Stan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sometimes you two are so predictable."

"Sometimes," Cartman echoed, glancing at Kyle, who glanced back. "But sometimes we can do something completely unexpected."

Stan frowned. "Do I want to know?"

"Probably not."

"Then I won't ask."

Cartman grinned over at Kyle, and Kyle just merely shook his head. But Cartman could see a faint smile on his lips.

-.-.-.-.-.

But according to Cartman, all good things come to an end. This was just how the world worked. He could feel the tension in the air the moment he stepped onto the bus that morning. Something was amiss. He kept his eyes open, but nothing came of it all day. But he knew that something was going to happen. Cartman was always good at knowing when trouble was around, mostly because he would always be in the center of it. But this time it would be less welcome.

He also kept an eye open for his friends. Kyle seemed to be fine all day, at least the few brief times he saw him passing in the hallways. At lunch, he seemed at ease too, sitting with his new group. Stan seemed alright as well. Wendy was acting normal, but he could tell that the open campaigning was taking a toll on her, since she was sitting all alone at lunch time, and she looked more tired today than most days. However, nothing seemed amiss.

Cartman knew better, however. The tension in the air was unmistakable. Someone or something was going to strike. He just didn't know when, or where.

It finally became clear to him after school. He hadn't taken much time at his locker, since he rarely took any books or homework home with him. He shoved everything in his locker, including his backpack. It took a few tries to jam the door shut, but he managed somehow after the third attempt. He saw Butters approach, one of the only students who really still talked with him.

"Hey Eric!"

"Hey loser. What's up?"

"Well, nothing much, really…" He poked his fingers together, a habit he hadn't lost over the years. "So… are you still friends with Kyle?"

"Why?"

"Well… I'm kind of worried for him."

Cartman quirked an eyebrow.

"I heard some guys talking today about what a fag he is and stuff… and they said something about taking him down."

Cartman paused. He knew it couldn't have been the guys from before, because he had taken care of that. Of course, he would deny it if anyone asked if he knew where they were. "Did they say when?"

"No… but I'd keep a close eye on him. I think they were planning to do something soon. They seemed really mad."

Cartman shoved the doors open as they both stepped outside together. "Could you maybe tell me something a bit more useful?"

"Well… I just saw them five minutes ago. They shoved me in my locker, so I would have come to you sooner… But luckily, Bebe let me out."

Cartman frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but then he heard a familiar shout. His head jerked in the direction of the sound, immediately locating the source.

"Ah, fuck," he hissed, taking off in the direction of Kyle's voice. He heard Butters following him. He knew he wouldn't be much help, but he appreciated the gesture. His chest felt tight and he felt a bit panicked. He told himself to keep his cool, but with every step, he knew that would be hard. He could feel his rage build quickly, his vision narrowing.

He turned the corner and saw Kyle. It was then that he lost control. A group of guys Cartman had never talked to before were ganging up on the thin redhead, and Kyle certainly could stand no chance. There were six of them in total, and they had cornered Kyle against the wall. Kyle was certainly putting up a fight; he kicked, punched, and yelled obscenities, struggling to gain the upper hand.

No one touched his Jew.

"HEY!" Cartman screamed, his blood boiling. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HIM!"

He wasn't really sure what happened next. He was never sure when the rage took over like this.

All he knew was that he was pissed. He thought that Kyle might have called his name. At some point, Kyle dropped from sight. Cartman was there. He wasn't sure who he punched, or how hard. It all happened so quickly and yet it took a lifetime. Finally, the boys scattered. Cartman half followed them, screaming at them. They were all he could see. He wasn't even sure what he yelled, but most likely it wasn't nice. He would fucking kill those sons of bitches. He'd tear their heads off for touching…

"Eric!" Butters yelled, catching his attention. He turned.

Butters was at Kyle's side, trying to help him up. Kyle was clutching at his head, his jaw clenched in pain. Cartman's heart froze.

So much blood.

He ran over, probably faster than he had ever run before. He roughly grabbed Kyle's arms, holding him up. There was a lot of shouting and confusion. He couldn't understand. What was happening?

Kyle grabbed onto his shoulder and dug his fingers in, hard. Cartman paused.

"Cartman," he said steadily, his voice sounding distant and far away.

Cartman could feel his rage subsiding enough for him to clearly see what was happening.

"Cartman," Kyle repeated. "You need to calm down. Butters… call 911."

Cartman didn't look, but he could hear Butters fumble for his cell and quickly dial. He attempted to take a few deep breaths, but he couldn't stop panting.

"Cartman… Cartman… it's ok… I'm… I'm ok. I'm just bleeding a lot, and we need to … we need to try to stop it…"

"What happened?" Cartman heard himself asking. So much blood.

"Cartman… calm. Calm down. I need you to snap out of it."

Cartman blinked a few times. His rage had subsided, but panic had replaced it. "Oh my god… oh my fucking god…"

"Cartman … I need to sit…"

Cartman helped Kyle back down to the ground. He was finally able to see what had happened. One of them must have cracked Kyle's head against the side of the school building, because there was a large smear of blood there. Kyle was shaking… or was that himself?

He couldn't tell.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck…" he heard himself whimper, fumbling with his jacket. "Fuck fuck fuck…" He took it off and tried to use it to stop the blood. Kyle winced from the contact, his normally bright emerald eyes dulled.

He held him close, and refused to let go. He would never let him go. He ignored the sounds around him, not recognizing them for what they were. Finally, someone tugged on his shoulder, and he was forced away from Kyle. "Eric! They need to see him…" Flashing lights. Blood. God he looked so pale. White uniforms. Panic. Terror. He felt so lost and confused, and he wasn't even sure how he ended up at the hospital. He couldn't think. He couldn't feel. All he could do was wait.


	21. Chapter 21

When Kyle opened his eyes, he wasn't quite sure where he was right away. He stared straight up, blinking as his eyes slowly adjusted to the bright lights. He saw a white ceiling, which seemed both familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. It only took him a second, however, to realize that he was in the hospital.

He felt a bit dull, as if he wasn't quite awake yet. He blinked a few more times, and without moving, glanced around. He couldn't really see much besides the ceiling, but he could sense someone's presence. He closed his eyes, feeling quite tired, but opened them again, fighting back the wave up sleepiness. No. Not now.

He remained still, thinking back to what had happened, and why he was there. It took him a moment to remember that he had been in a fight. Yes. A group of seniors had attacked him… they were calling him names like 'faggot' and 'queer.' He fought. Cartman had come. They continued to fight… he remembered someone twisted his arm. He then remembered the sudden crack as one of them slammed his head against the pavement… and how they panicked when they saw the blood. He remembered them running off, Cartman hot on their tails. Kyle had touched his head. He remembered it hurt. He looked at his hand, and it was red with blood.

He remembered Butters was suddenly there, his face pale and his blue eyes full of panic. Cartman was then there. Kyle knew he had gone over the edge with rage, and grabbed him. He had to calm him. He thought he did, but to be honest, the last few moments were a bit hazy. Cartman held him, and he could hear sirens in the distance.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck…"

He realized his eyes had closed again, and so he opened them. He blinked, getting used to the lights again. His head ached a bit, but it seemed far away, like everything else. He took a deep breath.

He wiggled his toes and his fingers. Ok, that was fine… he shifted a bit, raising his hand weakly to touch his head. It was wrapped with some gauze. He shifted again. Everything seemed to be fine.

He decided to move his head a bit. It didn't hurt, but he felt a strange throbbing sensation. He glanced at his bed, and realized that Cartman was sitting next to him.

Cartman was in a chair. His arms were folded on the bed, and on top of them lay his head. He was dozing, making a soft snoring sound. Kyle carefully laid his head back down, wondering what kind of injuries he had sustained.

As if on cue, a nurse came in. She smiled warmly at him. "Oh, you're finally awake!" she said softly, obviously not wanting to wake Cartman.

"What happened?" Kyle asked, realizing for the first time how dry his throat felt.

"Well, you were involved in a fight. You hit your head, and you lost a lot of blood."

"Am I ok?"

"Yes," she replied, smiling. Kyle didn't really trust South Park Hospital, so he wasn't quite convinced. Hell, they gave Cartman AIDs on accident for Christ's sake. "I'll have the doctor explain all the details to you."

Great. He trusted that doctor as much as he trusted Officer Barbrady.

She checked a few things before disappearing. Kyle sighed, staring up at the ceiling again. The doctor came in, knocking on the door before he entered with a clipboard in his hand.

Cartman stirred.

"Kyle Broflovski? I'm glad that you're aw-"

"Kyle!" Cartman cried. "You're awake!"

Kyle looked at Cartman, who he could now see without lifting his head. "Hey."

Words couldn't really describe that moment. Kyle looked at Cartman's face, and there were so many different emotions flashing across it that he couldn't even begin to really explain. He understood, however, the fear and anxiety Cartman must have felt.

But the moment couldn't last, as the doctor wanted to tell Kyle exactly what had happened. To be honest, Kyle wasn't sure exactly what he was explaining. It had something to do with his head injury, and the presence of an epidural hematoma or something, which required surgery. He supposedly woke up earlier, but he didn't recall this. The doctor explained that in cases such as his, slight bouts of amnesia are common. He also said that he would have to come back to get the staples removed or something.

Yeah, he had no clue what he just said.

But he didn't care. He was ok, and that was all that mattered. The doctor said he was going to prescribe some pain meds, and after a few hours of monitoring, he would probably be ok to go home.

"Are my parents here?" he asked after the doctor was finished blabbing.

The doctor glanced at Cartman. "Well, we've been trying to contact them, but so far, we haven't been able to. We'll keep trying."

Kyle blinked. The doctor said a few more things that Kyle didn't understand and quickly left.

He noticed that Cartman was clinging, albeit gently, onto his hand. He looked back over at him and weakly smiled.

"So I'm ok."

"Yeah," Cartman said, his voice sounding hoarse. "You scared the shit out of me, Broflovski."

"Sorry… I'll try not to do that to you again."

"You better not."

Kyle squeezed his hand, and Cartman smiled a bit, squeezing back.

"So why can't they get a hold of my parents?"

"Well, there was a small fight in town tonight, or so we saw on the TV. Stan told me that your mom stopped the fighting… for now. Stan has been keeping me posted." He waved his phone in the air. "So I'm sure that your family will be here shortly, once they find out. Stan lost track of them after your mom gave a speech or something."

"What time is it?"

"Around nine-thirty."

Kyle pursed his lips. That meant that it had been around six hours since his fight.

"So… I'm really ok?"

"Yeah."

"Are you ok?"

"I didn't get hurt, so yeah, I'm fine."

"I had surgery?"

"Yeah… I wasn't too sure about you having it, since the doctors here are stupid as rocks, but they convinced me that you needed it. Plus, I don't think I could have stopped them. I guess it was necessary."

Kyle reached up with his free hand and gingerly touched the wrapping that surrounded his head. "It hurts."

"I'm not letting this happen to you ever again."

Kyle blinked, looking over at Cartman. He had that look on his face when he was determined to do something, and Kyle knew that changing his mind would be nearly impossible.

"Cartman… I'm fine…"

"Don't. Kyle, you could have died. I mean, shit, you hit your head! I was terrified. I'm going to kill those sons of bitches…"

"Cartman! You can't just kill them just because-"

"Just because what? Just because they almost killed you? I'm not going to let them get away with something like that!"

Kyle wasn't sure where he found the strength, but then again, he could be rather resourceful when he was fired up. He pulled his hand out of Cartman's grasp and pushed himself into a sitting position. He glared at Cartman.

"No. You aren't killing anyone! They certainly didn't mean for it to get as violent as it did. And killing is never the answer Cartman. I swear to god, if you try to hurt them…"

"Ok, ok, fine, geez!"

Kyle huffed. "Look, I know it scared the shit out of you, and I certainly could have died, but I didn't. Instead of getting revenge on those assholes, we need to figure out how to calm this stupid town down. You said that there was a fight tonight?"

"Kyle, before we talk business… can I say something?"

Kyle paused, studying Cartman's face. "Ok."

"I… " Cartman paused, obviously struggling with something. He shook his head. "I don't want you to infiltrate that group anymore."

Of course not. "Cartman…" he began to argue.

"You could have died! And seriously, you have the biggest target on your back."

"That fight didn't happen because I was with that group…"

"No, but still. You're in more danger than any of us. Kyle…"

Kyle blinked. Cartman was obviously struggling with something.

"Kyle… please. I… I don't want you to get hurt again." Cartman bit his lip, and then grabbed Kyle's hand again. "I can't handle it if you get hurt again."

Kyle stared, his heart feeling tight in his chest. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, ditch that group and let me protect you."

"I don't need protecting…"

"Goddamnit Kyle! Can't you see that I… I…"

Kyle sighed. "Say it."

"I care about you, Ok? I don't want you to get hurt because I care about you!"

Kyle stared. "You… care about me?"

"Yes."

He paused. "What do you actually mean when you say that? Do you mean you care about me like a friend, or …" He trailed off, not really sure how to finish his question.

Cartman frowned, studying his face. "Oh, for god's sake, Kyle, sometimes you can be so stupid! Why do you think I kissed you? Why do you think I spend time with you? For fuck's sake, for such a smart nerd, you really are dense."

Kyle had known that Cartman had liked him… hell, he wasn't as stupid as Cartman was suggesting. However, he hadn't expected Cartman to actually ADMIT that he cared for him. Hell, they hadn't even talked about the kissing incident, let alone done it again. He was starting to wonder if the reason they had even kissed was because Cartman had been so upset about Kenny.

"Cartman?"

"Yeah?"

"I care about you too. I mean, I really like you…" He felt his own cheeks flushing in embarrassment. He noticed Cartman's cheeks were red too. He clung onto Cartman's hand, squeezing it firmly in an attempt to convey his true feelings without going too much into detail verbally.

They stayed like that in awkward silence for a bit, each boy feeling rather embarrassed at their situation. Kyle wondered where their relationship would go from there. Kyle was openly gay, but Cartman certainly wasn't. Besides, what exactly did Cartman want? He wasn't sure. However, he was sure of one thing – they he didn't want to ask Cartman about it just yet.

Kyle took a deep breath and decided to continue as if nothing had been said. "But. Someone has to monitor what that group is up to. I mean, what if they start planning something, and I'm not there to pick up on it? We need someone there."

"I think I can help with that."

Kyle's body tensed at the sudden voice, gasping in surprise and looking toward the door. However, his surprise only grew when he saw who was standing in the doorway.

"Wow, you two look like you've seen a ghost."

"Kenny!" Kyle exclaimed happily. And in fact, it was Kenny, alive and well. He was cockily leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed, his head tilted, and a big, goofy grin planted on his face.

Cartman got up and rushed over to Kenny. Kenny blinked in confusion, obviously taken aback. Cartman quickly grabbed onto his friend, hugging him tightly.

"W-what's this?" Kenny asked.

"Nothing," Cartman grunted.

It occurred to Kyle why Kenny was so confused. "He remembers. I mean… we remember. You dying," Kyle explained.

The blonde stared at him, obviously processing what Kyle had just said. Suddenly, a huge smile broke across Kenny's face. Kyle hadn't seen him look that happy in a long time. Kenny wrapped his arms tightly around Cartman in a brotherly hug.

"Welcome back," Cartman said, his words muffled into Kenny's shoulder.

"Glad to be back," he said softly, smiling over Cartman's shoulder at Kyle.

-.-.-.-.-.

After updating Kenny about everything that had happened, Kenny was quiet at first. The three of them sat in the room. Kenny was sitting in the chair Cartman had previously occupied, and Cartman was sitting on the edge of the bed next to Kyle. Once Cartman had gotten over the shock of seeing Kenny again, he had returned to grasping onto Kyle's hand protectively. However, Kyle also noticed that he didn't want to stray too far away from Kenny either. Kenny didn't mention the fact that they were holding hands, and kept strictly to business.

"Well," Kenny finally said, "Like I said, I think I can help. Kyle, I'll take your place in that group, and keep an eye out."

"It's going to be dangerous," Kyle warned.

"What's the worst that can happen?" Kenny chuckled bitterly. Regret flashed across his face the moment after he said it, though, when he caught the look on Cartman's face. "I mean," he quickly continued, "I'm not being targeted for starting all of this or for being gay, so that's two up on you, Kyle. Besides, I agree with what Cartman said before – I don't think it's safe for you at that school."

"I'm going to have to go no matter what," Kyle protested. "It's not like my mom is going to let me stay home forever."

"Yes," Kenny agreed, "But this way, you can stay close to Cartman. He can help protect you."

Cartman seemed to puff up. Kyle wanted to argue, but he could see Kenny's point. "Ok, you two make a pretty good argument. We'll switch positions for now. And I'll hang low for a little bit, at least until I recover fully."

Cartman squeezed his hand affectionately. Kenny grinned at them both.

"So, I guess you two are an item now?"

So much for Kenny not mentioning the hand holding. Kyle felt his face flush.

"What's it to you?" Cartman quipped back. Kyle was grateful for Cartman's choice of response.

Kenny laughed. "I'm just happy for you guys. I think you make a great couple."

"Shut up, Kenny," Kyle muttered.

"Wow, Kyle, I've never seen your face that red before. What an effect you have on him, Cartman!"

Kyle pretended not to notice the proud grin on Cartman's face.

He opened his mouth to try to say something to recapture his dignity, but he heard the sound of running footsteps. He turned his head slowly toward the door, and Stan came rushing in, his cheeks flushed from running. The raven-haired boy gasped for air, his eyes first falling on Kyle, and then looking over at Kenny.

"Cartman… texted me… that you were fine, Kyle, but… Kenny… Kenny, I'm so, so sorry…" Stan worriedly made his way into the room, hesitantly walking up to the sitting Kenny. "I'm so sorry, Kenny, so sorry… please forgive me…"

Kenny pursed his lips, slowly standing. "Stan… it's not like the first time one of you have accidently killed me. It's ok. I forgive you." Stan latched onto Kenny as if he would never see him again, clinging on for dear life.

"So sorry," he whispered again.

Kyle looked at Stan, a small smile on his face. For the first time since coming back from his language camp, Kyle felt like they were finally united once more. Nothing stood in between them any longer. Once again, they were a group. This made Kyle confident that they would be able to survive whatever else came their way.

Together, they would fix what Kyle had broken.


	22. Chapter 22

Stan had been relieved to no end that Kyle had woken up and he was ok. Granted, the doctors told Cartman and Stan after the surgery that Kyle would most likely be fine, and although those doctors usually had no clue what was going on, Stan was confident his best friend would pull through. He had stayed with Cartman for most of the afternoon, until they caught footage of the riot starting downtown. Cartman had convinced Stan to go check out the situation, and maybe find Kyle's parents in the midst of it. Stan hadn't wanted to leave Kyle, but by the look on Cartman's face, he knew that he was being taken care of. He made Cartman promise, though, to text him the moment he woke up.

Cartman had done so, which made Stan relax a bit. At least Kyle was awake. But when he got the text from Cartman that Kenny was there, he had rushed right back to the hospital. The town was calming down anyway, due to Kyle's mom's influence. He ran the entire way, listening as his sneakers thudded against the pavement and his heart practically beat out of his chest.

When he rounded the corner and looked in the room, he immediately looked to Kyle to make sure he was alright. Once that was confirmed, he looked at Kenny, and the feelings of guilt that he had been carrying around with him surfaced.

Now, he clung onto Kenny for dear life, repeating his apology in soft whispers even though Kenny had already told him it was alright. "So sorry…" he murmured.

Kenny laughed softly, rubbing his back gently. "Really, Stan, it's ok."

"I guess this means I don't have to kill you, Stan," Cartman announced loudly, which caused Stan to pull away just slightly from Kenny.

He blinked, and then smiled a bit. Stan had been friends with Cartman long enough to realize when the other boy was trying to be comforting.

"Thank god for that," he grinned. "I'd die instantly the moment you sat on me."

"Hey!" Cartman replied. "Stop insinuating that I'm fat! I'm big-boned!"

Stan laughed with the others, and even Cartman joined in after a moment of pretending to look angry. Stan looked at Kyle and smiled, sending a secret message to his best friend that everything looked like it was going to be ok. Kyle grinned back.

Stan blinked when he noticed that Kyle's hand was entangled with Cartman's, but he decided not to say anything. After all, he had seen the state Cartman was in after Kyle was hurt, and instantly recognized that Cartman cared a lot for Kyle. He would talk to Kyle at length about it once everything calmed down a bit more. For now, he chose to ignore it.

"Bubbulah!" Stan turned along with everyone else to face the door to the room. There stood Kyle's mom, her face twisted in worry for her son. She rushed forward, and Kyle was forced to drop Cartman's hand to hug his mother.

"It's ok, mom, I'm fine."

"Oh, thank goodness you're ok! I can't believe I didn't get the message until now! Your father went home to grab Ike, and then they will be coming right over. Are you sure you're ok?"

Kyle nodded weakly, but closed his eyes briefly. Stan figured it must be from the pain. He reached over and touched Kyle's mom's shoulder gently.

"Mrs. Broflovski? Kyle will be fine. We're going to let you have a moment with him to yourself, ok? We'll be right out in the hall if you need anything."

She smiled warmly at Stan. "Thank you, Stan, everyone."

Stan led the group out into the hall, shoving his hands into his pockets. He wasn't sure what was going to happen now, but things had started to get serious. He knew that there was no going back. The climax was approaching, and he could only hope that they would all be strong enough to save their little redneck town.

-.-.-.-.-.

It was hard to stay by Kyle's side when Cartman demanded to be there as well. Hell, Kenny even insisted that he stay by Kyle's side, arguing that he had become a part of the Broflovski family as of late. Stan could understand both boys' reasons, but that didn't mean he wanted to leave Kyle either. Hell, Kyle was his Super Best Friend, and there was no way he could go home after what happened to him.

Luckily, Sheila Broflovski understood everyone's feelings, so she convinced the hospital to let them stay. She even called all the parents to make sure it was ok. The next morning, Kyle was released bright and early, so she drove all four boys back to their house. She told them to take Kyle upstairs so he could rest, and promised to make them all breakfast. The schools in South Park were shut down due to yesterday's riot, so it wasn't as if they were missing classes. Stan was thankful for the break, because he would have skipped school had it been in session.

They shuffled upstairs, all of them carefully eying Kyle and making sure he was fine. Kyle sighed when he made it to the top of the stairs, turned, and glared at them.

"If you guys don't stop babying me right now, I'm going to shove you all down the stairs," he growled, but they all knew it was an empty threat.

"Don't get your panties in a twist," Cartman grumbled, grabbing his arm gently and walking with him to his bedroom. Stan and Kenny weren't far behind, and Stan closed the door after they were all inside.

They all made themselves comfortable. Kyle crawled onto the far end of his bed, propping himself carefully up on his pillows. Cartman protectively sat next to him, his legs dangling off the side of the bed. Stan wheeled Kyle's desk chair over and sat in it, while Kenny chose to aimlessly wander Kyle's room.

They hadn't really had time to discuss what happened the other day. Kyle's family had been there with them the entire time, and they really didn't feel comfortable talking about things in front of them. They finally had some time to themselves, and Stan figured that they would want an update.

"So," Kenny began casually, fiddling with something on Kyle's desk. "Do you want to update us about the riot last night?"

Stan nodded. "It was chaotic. Kyle was sent straight to the hospital. Butters actually was the one to call me, since Cartman was…" He hesitated, not really wanting to describe that Cartman was in no mental state to call him. "He was busy with staying close to Kyle and such. I met them at the hospital. Butters left, and as we were sitting there, Cartman and I saw the footage of the riot on TV. It looked crazy. Cartman and I both decided that I should go check it out. We also figured that Kyle's family would be down there, since they weren't answering their phones. They deserved to know what happened.

"When I got down there, I seriously couldn't believe how crazy things were. It wasn't as if the whole town was in an uproar, but there were quite a few people involved. People were shouting and fighting… Everyone had taken a side on the issue, and no one was there to stop it. That is, until Kyle's mom came. She got on top of Tom's Rhinoplasty and sprayed everyone with a fire extinguisher. She then started yelling at everyone, telling them that they should be ashamed of themselves. She said that everyone has a right to wear what they want and act how they want. She then told everyone to go home. After she had gotten most of the crowd to disperse, I got the text that Kyle was awake. I wasn't able to talk to her right away, since she was having a discussion with Officer Barbrady, and then I got the text that Kenny was alive. When she was finally done, I quickly told her what had happened with Kyle, and that he was in the hospital. She decided to get over there right away, but first she had to find Kyle's dad. I ran ahead of her… and then from there, you know the rest of the story."

Kenny frowned. "What I don't get is why your mom didn't know you were missing right away, Kyle. I mean, you normally go home right away after school."

"Well," Kyle explained, "That afternoon I told her that I would be running late, since I was planning on stopping into the video store. My boss wanted me to pick up a short shift that afternoon, since he had a doctor's appointment. I told my family that I was going to be studying at the library, and wouldn't be home until after dinner."

Stan nodded. He had wondered why Kyle's mom didn't suspect something was up as well. "That makes sense."

"Well," Kenny grinned. "Now that all of that is cleared up, why don't we stop talking business for a while and just relax. Let's put in a movie or play some video games or something."

Kyle smiled. "That's actually a really good idea. It will help me keep my mind off of things, like my throbbing head."

Stan was also thankful for the distraction as well.

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan wasn't too happy to go back to school on Wednesday. Not only was he still enraged that Kyle had gotten beaten up by some students there, but he also hated being there when he couldn't talk to his friends. If recent events had taught him anything, he learned that his friends were the most important thing in his life, excluding Wendy. He didn't know how he had survived not talking to them for so long before. Now, it was difficult to ignore them.

Kyle stayed home Wednesday as well, since his mom was concerned for his well-being, and Kyle was still complaining of not feeling well. Stan was glad, because otherwise he'd be worrying about Kyle all day.

He decided that he would use his frustrations about recent events by focusing his energy on figuring out a way to fix South Park. He became hyper-aware of what his 'friends' were talking about and paid extra attention whenever they brought up the tense situation at school. Stan found himself asking point blank whether they planned on doing something about it.

"Well," Seth muttered, "My idea of setting the school on fire is starting to sound better and better every day."

Stan didn't like that thought but luckily the others didn't seem as keen to the idea as Seth was. Stan hoped that it would stay that way.

After school, Stan decided to do a little bit of extra work and hung out with his make-shift friends. They all headed down to the field behind school to throw around a football. Once again, Stan asked them what they were planning.

Dave laughed. "It sounds like Stan wants to do something about it."

"Well," Stan hesitated. "It's not really that so much as I'm wondering what YOU want to do about it. I mean, it sucks and all, but is there anything we really CAN do?"

"We have to do something," Seth growled. "They're ruining our whole town!"

"You guys need to calm down," a quieter member of their group, Jason, said. "I mean, yeah, it sucks, but Stan's right. There isn't much we can do about it."

"Yeah, but if we let them continue this crap, then we're no better than the rest of this town! No one wants to do anything about it. Well, I say that we be the first ones to do something. We can't let this happen. Otherwise, we're just willing to throw away what's good about this town."

Stan caught the football that Seth chucked at him easily. He tossed it over to Jason casually. "Well, what do you suggest we do?"

"I say we start making their lives miserable. Make it apparent that wearing stupid outfits and acting like morons gets you nowhere. Start treating them like the dirt they've become, and then maybe they'll start to see reason."

"Bullying is already going on, and it doesn't seem like it's changing anything," Stan pointed out.

"Well, then we step it up a notch."

"I don't want anyone to get hurt," Jason complained.

"We won't hurt anyone, unless if it has to come to that."

"I say," Dave spoke up, "that we unite with the adults who are against this whole thing. I mean, the town is already in the fray as well, might as well join forces with them."

The boys all nodded, agreeing with Dave's wisdom. Stan pursed his lips, not really liking the idea. It would mean that he would be taking a public stance against his own dad, and for it to be believable, his dad would have to believe it too.

Stan didn't like where this was going.

-.-.-.-.-.

"You looked great today, Wendy," Stan smiled sheepishly as he crawled through her window. Now that their relationship had to kept a secret, Stan felt the need to use the window instead of the front door.

Wendy turned around, flashing him a sweet smile. "Thanks Stan! I picked it out the other day when we had off from school." She twirled around once, showing it off. She was wearing a cute casual blouse with some jeans. She hadn't gotten too far away from her personal preferences, however, since her top was still purple. She was also still wearing her hat.

"Well, you'd look good in anything you wore," he said truthfully, hugging her tightly.

"How's Kyle doing?" she asked, hugging him back and snuggling into his shoulder.

"He's doing better. He took the day off today for recovery. I've been texting him throughout the day to make sure he's ok, and I think he was getting annoyed by it. I think all of us were doing it, too, which made it worse." He chuckled a bit, picking up Wendy and swinging her gently. She laughed as well.

"God I miss you," he groaned.

"I miss you too, Stan. I hate being able to see you all day during school and not being able to talk to you."

He nodded in agreement. "Are your parents home?"

She smiled. "Unfortunately, yes."

He grinned. "Well, then we'll just have to be extra quiet."

She squeaked happily as he fell with her on the bed.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Morning!" Stan greeted happily, walking up to the bus stop. The other three were there. "How are you feeling Kyle?" he asked, worried for his best friend.

Kyle rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, just like the other bazillion times you guys asked me."

Cartman seemed crankier than usual this morning, but Stan wasn't going to be the one to ask why. He figured it had something to do with Kyle going back to school.

"You're wearing your hat," Stan pointed out, studying Kyle.

"Yeah, that way you don't see the bandage on my head so much," Kyle explained. "Tomorrow they are going to be taking off the bandage, but my hair is all cut to shreds, so I'll have to keep wearing the damn thing."

Stan took a moment to study his friend. He remembered the first day Kyle had shown up not wearing it, and how it didn't feel right. But he had the same feeling now as he did that day a few weeks ago.

"It's strange to see you in it now," he pointed out.

Kyle blinked, glancing over at him, and then smiled. "Yeah," he admitted. "To be honest, it's really weird to be wearing it again."

Stan smiled a bit too, and then wandered a bit away from them. The bus was coming soon, and they had to look like they weren't friends anymore. Kenny and Stan stood the furthest apart, where Kyle and Cartman stood together between them. Stan hated the distance, and hoped that all of this would be over soon.

He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.


	23. Chapter 23

The only good thing about dying was coming back. Kenny loved the feeling when he woke up after being dead. It was as if he just woke up from a long, relaxing nap. His body would feel a bit strange and almost foreign, but besides that, he always felt eager to get up and go back to living. He also appreciated life so much more than his friends ever could. After all, how could you not appreciate life when you spent half of the time being dead?

So it tore him apart to have to stand so far apart from his friends, and ignore them while they were at school. He hated it. Instead of looking at his friends that Thursday morning, he chose to stare down at his red sneakers. He could then pretend that they were standing right next to him instead of a few feet away.

"To be honest, it's really weird to be wearing it again."

Kyle had said that before they had all moved apart. Kenny quietly pondered this sentence as he studied the scuff on his right shoe. He wondered what it would be like to don his infamous hoodie again, and decided that although it may feel familiar, it would also be incredibly strange.

They didn't speak anymore, since they knew the bus would arrive any second. As if on cue, the bus screeched to a halt in front of them, and they quickly climbed aboard, starting their long day of pretending to hate each other.

Kenny never liked acting that much.

-.-.-.-.-.

Joining with the other kids who had changed their clothes was easy. Kenny's classmates were used to Kenny disappearing for long periods of time, so it wasn't like they suspected anything. None of them realized it was because he was dead, though. After all, when Kenny came back to life, no one remembered that he had died at all. Kenny was still surprised, therefore, that his friends remembered him dying this last time. He wasn't so surprised, however, that the entire school, and his family, didn't remember the occurrence.

He sighed softly. He didn't like that he had to be around people he normally didn't hang around. If he had his eyes set on a woman, he didn't mind spending time with her. However, he had to hang around guys and girls that he had no interest in, and it just made him miss his friends more.

But it was all for the greater good, he reminded himself.

He focused his efforts on socializing with as many people as possible, in an effort to get "in" with some of the leaders. It didn't take long for him to figure out who the most proactive kids in the group were. They were the ones that complained the loudest about those who opposed them.

He spent time with them after school that day, mostly observing and listening rather than joining into the conversations. He learned several things that Kyle had been unable to. One, that the leaders were nothing like the kids they had been a few weeks ago, and two, that they were willing to do whatever it took to continue their charade.

He also learned that they planned on marching against the other group in a showdown that Saturday.

-.-.-.-.-.

Merely an hour and a half later, Kenny was climbing up the old ladder up to Stan's old tree house. He noticed that there had been some renovations since the last time he had been there, but he didn't really give it much thought. After all, he had more on his mind than reminiscing about the good old days.

The moment he had found out about the plan, he had texted everyone that they had to meet ASAP. Stan suggested his tree house, since his parents weren't home and it would be the easiest location to meet on such a short notice. Kenny was the last to arrive, since he tried to learn more about the plan from the others.

They were all naturally sitting in an arc, facing the entrance, so Kenny sat down to complete the circle.

"So what's up?" Kyle asked. He had taken off his hat and set it on his lap. His bandage had been taken off, since he had the appointment after school. Kenny felt sorry for him, since his hair was shaved where the surgery took place, and overall, he just looked a little sad.

Kenny shook his head, snapping his brain back into action. "We have a problem. I figured out who the most influential people in my group are, and hung out with them after school. Cartman… you set up a meeting with the mayor, right?"

Cartman nodded, but frowned. "Yeah, but how the hell did you know? I haven't told you guys yet."

"Well, somehow these kids found out."

"Shit…" Cartman muttered. "I had the mayor agree to talk to me, along with some adults who I've found who are on our side. I was going to get Wendy to bring any students along that she's found as well. We were going to discuss the problem, and some possible solutions that would prevent more riots and general fighting."

"Well, the leaders of my group are organizing everyone," Kenny continued. "They plan to tell everyone about the event tomorrow, and get everyone on board. They want everyone to march, with the adults who are on their side, before the meeting."

"March?" Kyle echoed softly, his eyebrows turned down in concern.

"Yeah. I guess they want to protest the meeting, since they don't want any restrictions. They argue that the mayor can't force them to change back to how they were, and that they have a right to dress and act the way they want."

"This isn't good," Wendy said, pursing her lips. "Cartman was trying to keep the meeting as quiet as possible, and he only just told me about it today. I was planning on talking to the few people I found who are willing to support us tomorrow. They've been keeping rather low, since they don't want anything bad to happen to them, but I figured I could convince them to go to a private meeting that no one knew about. Now, I'm not so sure they'd be comfortable going."

"If they are marching, most likely the other group will catch wind of it and march too. It could turn into a huge disaster," Kyle pointed out softly, staring pensively down at the boarded floor.

"Have you heard anything yet from your group, Stan?" Cartman asked quickly.

"No," Stan admitted. "But to be honest, most likely Kyle's right. Once they find out about it, which they most certainly will, they'll march too."

"This really isn't good," Cartman complained.

"What time is the meeting?" Kenny asked.

"Five," Cartman answered. "Maybe I could move the meeting up… At least get the mayor prepared for the disaster that I accidently brought to her doorstep."

"Look, we can't give up, guys." Kyle finally looked up, his eyes burning in that familiar, stubborn passion that they always did. "Cartman, you can call the mayor, and tell her to meet with you earlier. No one can find out about this. If you can't meet with her before the march, then we're in trouble. Also, you're going to have to warn her about the marching."

"I'll make sure that she knows, and that they triple security," Cartman agreed. "When I ask people to come to the meeting, I'll still say that it's at five. Wendy, Kyle, and I will meet with her privately in the morning, to warn her about the event." Cartman paused before continuing. "No one must find out about the private meeting in the morning. I don't want to risk another leak. I'd suggest that we all go to it, but Kenny and Stan have to keep their cover as long as possible. We need you both feeding us the happenings of both groups, especially now."

Kenny simply nodded in agreement.

"I want everyone checking in the moment they hear anything new," Cartman continued, taking over the meeting with his natural leadership. "Anything." He whipped out his phone, continuing as his fingers flew across the keys. "I want everyone to also check in regularly, so that we know everyone is ok leading up to the event. Most likely, the tension in the school is going to triple tomorrow because of the march." His phone beeped. "I sent you all a random text message. All you have to do is hit 'reply to all' whenever you check in. This will make it easy so you're not finding all the addresses in your phone books, or only sending your information to one person. This way, we all know what's going on, at all times."

"What about me?" Kenny asked softly. His phone was super old, and he couldn't even text with it. He felt the familiar sickening in his stomach. Sure, he was used to being the poor one, but he hated it whenever he had to point it out.

"Actually," Cartman said, pulling something out of his pocket. "Kyle and I were discussing this last night, and we decided that it was a problem with the way things are with you not having a phone that can text. Plus, it's just super annoying. So, I asked my mom to get me another one. You know how she is." He tossed a phone in Kenny's direction.

He gasped, fumbling the phone a bit. "W-what?" he breathed, not really believing this.

"It's not like it's fancy," Cartman grumbled, obviously embarrassed. "Besides, it's attached to my account, so it was cheaper."

"Thanks a lot Cartman," he smiled. He seriously still couldn't believe this.

"Whatever," Cartman muttered.

Kenny promised himself that if he ever could, he would pay all of his friends back tenfold for everything they had ever done for him. But now wasn't the time. He flipped open his phone, relishing in the fact that he finally could text his friends. He opened the text Cartman sent. Cartman had already programmed everyone's numbers into his phone.

Kenny was glad for his best friend.

"Well, I got to get going before my mom figures out I'm missing. I told her I would be catching up on homework in my room, and didn't tell them I left."

"You shouldn't crawl out of your window with your head inj-!" Cartman began to complain loudly.

"Shut up. I'm fine. It's not like it's that big of a deal anyway. The doctor looked at it today and said it's healing rather nicely."

"I don't trust those stupid doctors…"

"Kenny?" Kyle continued, easily ignoring Cartman. "Are you coming over tonight?"

"If you don't mind. I was going to sneak over."

"No, that's cool. I mean, my parents already know that we aren't enemies. Hopefully that doesn't blow our cover later, but there really isn't anything we can do about it now."

Kyle slowly got up, and the rest of them did as well.

"Well, see you losers later," Cartman said before leading the way down the ladder. Kenny let Kyle go first, since he had to get home before Kenny got there anyway. Kenny glanced at Stan and Wendy.

"Stay safe, you two," he grinned.

"Thanks," Stan smiled in return.

"I'm glad you're back," Wendy smiled.

"You remembered I died too?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She seemed to think about it. "Well, Stan told me about how normally no one notices that you were dead after you come back. However, we both figure that we remembered because your death was so traumatic this time. I mean, Stan and Kyle were fighting, Stan felt guilty because he shoved you in the street, Cartman almost killed Stan for killing you, and overall, a lot of things were just going on. It would be hard to forget about all of that happening. But to be honest, I wasn't convinced you'd be coming back. I never knew that you died in the past. So… I'm glad you came back, Kenny." She hugged him gently, and he wrapped his arms around her to return the friendly hug.

"Thanks Wendy," he said truthfully. "That really means a lot to me. Stan's lucky to have you."

"That I am," Stan agreed warmly.

He pulled away, quickly saluting them. "Until Saturday," he said before heading down the ladder. He quickly started heading toward the Broflovski house, and despite the dire circumstances, he felt happier than he had in a while.

-.-.-.-.-.

The next morning, Kenny was asked by many people if he had heard about the march and if he planned on going. He of course told them he was, and realized that before school had even started, everyone he associated with knew of the event. During first period, he quickly whipped out his new cell phone and texted the others.

_-Things look bad. Everyone in my group knows about Saturday and plans to come._

He double checked to make sure that his phone was set on vibrate and shoved it into his pants pocket. Only a few seconds later, however, it vibrated against his leg.

The text was from Stan: _-Yeah, some guys know about it now and plan to get everyone involved. They don't sound too happy._

Kenny pursed his lips. He wasn't happy either. The tension in the air was too thick. He hoped that no matter what happened, he'd be able to live through the weekend. He didn't want to be dead again after only a few days of living.

That would just suck.


	24. Chapter 24

Cartman was annoyed to say the least. Growing up, he had always been able to take charge of any situation. He was a natural born leader, and he had a way of getting people to join him in his cause. However, for some reason, he wasn't able to catch a break. The situation at school and in town was getting worse by the day, and when he finally thought he had a full-proof plan, it backfired.

The meeting was supposed to be a secret, and he would be able to convince the mayor that something had to be done. What, exactly, he wasn't quite sure. The old Cartman would have just picked sides and tried to manipulate the situation into something that would benefit him. The old Cartman wouldn't have struggled to come up with a plan that would work. The old Cartman wouldn't be sitting in history class, wondering what the hell to do.

_-Yeah, some guys know about it now and plan to get everyone involved. They don't sound too happy. _He glared at the last text he received. Things were falling apart.

Although Cartman felt himself lacking in his leadership abilities as of late, he knew that it was up to him to come up with something. The only other person who could do that was Kyle, and he wasn't in the right state of mind either. They were both distracted; Kyle with the bullying and his head trauma, Cartman with his self-identity and his relationship with Kyle. It angered him beyond belief that he couldn't focus on the task at hand, and it pissed him off further that he had no plan of attack.

He knew that Saturday was going to be a disaster. Even though Cartman wasn't himself, he was still aware of what will happen come Saturday. Both groups would march and then all hell would break loose. He wasn't sure they could even stop it from happening. Did it really matter if they stopped it? It would be natural selection at its finest, that would be sure.

He scowled. No. He wasn't that person anymore. He couldn't just stand by and watch half the people of South Park kill each other. On one hand, he really didn't care that much, because it wasn't like they ever did anything for him. However, he knew that the new Cartman couldn't allow it. Besides, Kyle would get upset if he didn't at least try to fix the situation.

So he was back to wondering what the hell he could do. He stared blankly at the teacher as he prattled on about some U.S. president that Cartman had no respect for. Maybe by the end of the day, something would come to him. Or maybe his talk with the mayor would help him figure something out.

No matter what he came up with, he knew he better come up with it quick. Time was running out.

-.-.-.-.-.

Cartman had made Kyle agree to meet with him in between all of their classes. He had been unmovable on the matter.

"How are you?" he quickly asked as Kyle walked up.

Kyle rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, Cartman. Like I promised a million times, if something happens, I'll text you."

Cartman nodded. "So, come up with any good ideas about tomorrow?"

"Nope. You?"

"No."

Kyle frowned, crossing his arms and looking down. His green hat was sitting neatly on his head as if it had never been taken off, but to Cartman, it looked rather out of place. It didn't belong there, and it only served as a reminder how much danger Kyle was in.

"It doesn't sound good," Kyle mumbled softly, not wanting to be overheard by the other students in the hallway. "Everyone is on edge. No one is talking to me much anymore, but I can certainly tell that everyone is prepared for a final showdown. I don't know what we can do. I mean, when South Park gets like this, only something huge can stop them. Hell, most of the time it stops by pure luck or accident…"

Cartman frowned, blankly staring off into the crowd of people. For some reason, Kyle's ramblings were helping him think.

"Stop with that thought," he interrupted Kyle mid-sentence. He held up his hand, his face scrunched up in thought.

"What?" Kyle asked, not seeming too bothered by Cartman's rude interruption.

Cartman didn't answer. Instead, he gently took Kyle's arm. "Look, I don't really have so much of an idea, but I got to run. I'll talk to you later. Don't forget – meet me here after your next class!"

He barely noticed Kyle's nod of agreement before rushing off after the blonde that he had spotted. He might not exactly have a plan, but Cartman was never the kind to just sit around and think. It was time for action.

He grabbed Butters arm quickly and pulled him into the nearest bathroom. Butters gasped as Cartman pulled him in, before pulling his arm away.

"W-what do you think you're doing, Eric? I'll have you know that I'm not going to put up with yo-"

"Cut the crap, Butters. I know you're faking the tough-boy attitude, so drop it."

Butters shut his mouth, his familiar look of lack of confidence coming back. "Geez, Eric, I'm sorry…"

"Why are you even pretending to be such a prick, anyway?"

"Well, because I can, I guess… I mean, no one liked me before, and now, I have new friends and I even have a girlfriend!"

"Goddamnit Butters. Those posers don't like you. They just like the person you're pretending to be!"

Butters looked down, shuffling his feet. "Well, gosh, I guess I never really thought of it like that."

"You know the other day when you helped me with Kyle? You weren't acting then."

"Well, yeah…"

"And look at what happened! You helped the situation. Had you been acting like a douche, you wouldn't have helped, now would you? And where would Kyle and I be if that happened?"

Butters nodded slightly.

"Look," Cartman sighed, not sure if he was ready to have this conversation. "I know I have never treated you well, Butters. I always used you when I needed to, and ignored you otherwise. But I swear that's going to change. Not only did you prove your friendship when you helped us the other day, but I've also been coming to terms with a few things. I was no better than what you're doing now. I was always acting like a giant asshole, but only because I didn't want to get close to anyone. I was a fake. Granted, I believed that I WAS a jerk, but Kyle made me see that everything was an act. I know now that what I was doing was stupid. No one should be afraid to just be themselves. So stop acting like an asshole already, and go back to being my friend Butters."

Butters stared at him with wide eyes. "Did you say yo-your friend?"

Cartman sighed. God, he hoped Butters wouldn't get too sappy on him. "Yes. I know I was always a dick, but seriously, you've stuck by me all this time, no matter how poorly I treated you. But you were my friend, and still are, Butters."

Butters smiled. "You're my best friend, Eric!" He looked like he was about to hug him, so Cartman held up his hands.

"Whoa, calm down. Look, I need your help."

Butters got a serious look on his face. "I'm all ears."

-.-.-.-.-.

His teacher was a bit angry that he was late for class, but he didn't care and just sat down in his usual seat. He then whipped out his cell. He normally wouldn't write such a long message, especially with full sentences, but he felt like he needed to this time.

_-Guys. I got Butters on our side. He's going to be trying to convince some people in his group to our side as well. Kenny, I know you're our inside man, so I want you to try to stay low. However, if you think someone might be convinced to see our way, go for it. Stan, same. We're running out of time, and we need as many people with us as possible. I'm meeting with the principal during lunch, so Kyle and Wendy, you're free to join me. Everyone – the key to convincing people to join us is to single them out. It's best if you go in there with multiple people who see it like you do, so the more you convert, the easier it will be to convert more. It will be easiest for Kenny, Butters, and Stan to do this, since most people don't want to be seen talking to Kyle, Wendy, and me. We can do this, guys._

He nodded. He still didn't feel like they were ready for Saturday, but he felt a bit more confident.

-.-.-.-.-.

Cartman had already been in the principal's office a few times to discuss recent events, but the man wasn't very confident there was much he could do. He had already asked the teachers to talk about it in class, but it didn't seem to help. He sent letters home to the parents, asking them to talk to their children about the problem with bullying, and the important of not judging another person. He was in contact with the other school principals and the mayor, keeping communications open about the problem. He told them that he was planning on having a school assembly sometime next week to address the issues.

"That won't do us any good," Cartman cut in. "The students are planning on marching tomorrow. An assembly next week won't help."

Kyle and Wendy had decided to join him, and they were sitting in the two chairs in front of the principal's desk. Cartman had chosen to stand, since he looked more confident and powerful when he was at his full height. He paced around the room slightly. He had asked the other two, both known for not being shy for voicing their own opinions, to let him do all the talking. They were so far remaining silent, for which he was thankful.

"I don't know what else I can do," the principal, Mr. Higgins, complained. "I can't forbid the students from participating, because they will just do it anyway. I've already personally talked with the bullies. I'm running out of ideas."

Cartman sighed. He couldn't really be angry at him, since he didn't really have any new ideas either. "Look, we're going to be meeting with the mayor tomorrow. My sources tell me that the groups are planning on marching and protesting around three in the afternoon. All I'm asking is that you show up to support us. The mayor is going to make a speech in front of both crowds, and it would mean a lot to have you standing up there with her and the rest of us. The more support we show to our side, the most willing the others will be to see our side."

The principal seemed hesitant. Cartman continued.

"I know that it seems risky. I'm not going to lie – it's going to be dangerous. Most likely, the crowd is going to start fighting. However, we need your support. We're doing this for the good of our town." He paused his pacing, swinging his body toward the principal. "If you can't stand up there with us, then how can you expect anyone to? If we can't stop this riot, who knows what will happen? Lives will most likely be at stake. You know how the town gets when something like this happens. So we are asking you, nay, begging you – stand up for what is right. Stand up to your town. Stand up to the lives that are at risk, and demand that this ridiculousness ends!"

He stopped, noting with satisfaction the affect his speech had on the principal. The man still looked a bit hesitant, but he also looked convinced.

"Can I count on you to be there?" Cartman finally asked.

Mr. Higgins nodded. "Yes. You're right, Eric. If we don't stand up against this, who will? I'll be there."

Cartman smiled in triumph. Perhaps the old Cartman wasn't completely lost after all. "Thank you, Principal Higgins. My friends and I appreciate your dedication to both your students and our community. We shall see you there tomorrow."

The principal stood with Kyle and Wendy. He smiled and nodded to them. Cartman led the way out. When they were out of earshot, Wendy gently pushed Cartman's arm.

"That was great, Cartman!"

"Of course it was," he huffed, whipping out his phone to text _–Principal is in_ to the others. "Were you expecting less?"

Suddenly, Kyle's arms were thrown around his neck and the small boy was hugging him in a tight embrace. Cartman felt embarrassed, since Wendy was standing right there, looking a little shocked.

"You were so fucking hot in there," Kyle whispered before letting go. Cartman felt like he might die from that statement. The red-head grinned at him briefly. "I'm feeling a bit better about Saturday."

"Me too," Wendy agreed.

Their cell phones all started vibrating. Cartman pulled his out, happy for the distraction from the nervous twisting in his stomach. It was from Kenny.

_-Got more people on my side. Talked to everyone Kyle told me about as well, and they are still with us. Butters and I are double-teaming._

He looked at the others, who had just read the same message. "Things are definitely looking up," Cartman acknowledged. "But we aren't out of the water yet. But if things keep going like this, we may have a chance to stop the riot before it happens."

-.-.-.-.-.

The next day, Cartman was preparing to go see the mayor. His meeting was scheduled for 1:30, and it was currently 1. It was the only time that the mayor could meet with him that day, since she had some stupid meeting in the morning. He wasn't sure what could be more important than the well-being of South Park, but he had no choice to agree to the time slot. The others were keeping him updated while he got ready. Kenny and Butters were already gathered with their group. Supposedly, the students and adults wanted to get together to prepare their signs and mobilize before the march. Stan had just checked in as well, letting them know that he was heading to his group's meeting place. Kyle and Wendy were to meet Cartman at the mayor's. He was going to go a bit early, just in case the mayor was willing to see him early.

But sometimes, when you carelessly think that all is going according to plan, all hell breaks loose. His phone buzzed next to him as he fixed his tie, and he snatched it up quickly. It was from Stan.

_-Bad, group leaving now! Path library to main._

"Shit!" he cursed out loud. Cartman looked up at his reflection in the mirror. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen, and he could feel the rise of panic in his chest. He took a deep breath. This wasn't the time to panic. This was the time to focus. This was the time for action, not hesitation.

He quickly texted the others while he left his room.

_-Leaving for mayor's. Ky and Wen – come ASAP. _

"Mom! I'm taking the car!" he called. He quickly made his way out his front door. There was no turning back.


	25. Chapter 25

_-Leaving for mayor's. Ky and Wend – come ASAP. _

The moment Kyle read Cartman's text, something in the air snapped. He wasn't really sure what it was, but everything seemed out of place, even though he was just standing in his room.

Suddenly, the panic set in. But there wasn't time to panic. Not now. He grabbed his jacket, running out the door. He started to head toward Wendy's, since she lived only a few houses down. He knew Stan would never forgive him if he let Wendy go out by herself.

Things seemed almost surreal as he ran in the snow toward her place. There was stillness in the air, probably because there was no one out. It was strange to see the neighborhood so empty.

He knocked on the door, and Wendy appeared. "I was just leaving!" she exclaimed, her face pale as she readjusted her hat.

"Come on," Kyle urged, grabbing her hand. "Let's get going."

-.-.-.-.-.

Kenny bit his lip, staying close to Butters. Their group had decided to gather at the school gym, since it was large enough to hold everyone. However, they had all moved outside, since it had gotten warm with all the people crowded in there. Kenny couldn't believe how many people had come. He hoped that they wouldn't find out about the other group marching, since that would buy everyone some much needed time.

"Stan's dad is here," Butters whispered.

"Yeah. That's no surprise." Kenny kept looking around. Everything felt off.

"Guys!" a man suddenly yelled. Kenny's head jerked around, trying to find the source. Butters grabbed his arm and pointed at a man waving his cell phone.

"Shit," Kenny muttered, whipping out his own. He knew where this was going.

"The other group has already started marching!" the man called, and everyone began shouting in outrage.

"This really isn't good," Kenny groaned, the pale hairs on his arm sticking up.

_-Group found out. Marching from school._

-.-.-.-.-.

Carman cursed under his breath. He was running out of time.

-.-.-.-.-.

Despite the cold day, Stan's body felt warm. He held his sign tightly as he walked with the others, his throat dry and his stomach doing flips. He swallowed. As the group marched, it seemed like they were shouting their mantra louder and louder. Stan echoed the words as well to blend in, his hands sweaty in his mittens.

A gust of cold wind blew against him, and he shivered. He tried to convince himself that it would be ok, since they were moving quite slowly. He desperately clung to this notion as much as he did the heavy sign.

He wanted to throw up.

-.-.-.-.-.

Cartman practically slid the car into the snow-covered parking spot, opening the door before he had even shut off the car. He ran inside city hall, going the familiar path to the mayor's office. He had been there many times in the past.

He ignored the secretary yelling at him to stop and charged into the mayor's office. Apparently, some sort of meeting was taking place. There were a few men in business suits. Cartman ignored them; there were bigger things to consider.

"Mayor!" he shouted. "They've already started marching. Both groups are heading straight for us!"

It didn't take her long. She quickly stood up, her face grim. "Gentlemen, I'm afraid I have to cut this meeting short."

-.-.-.-.-.

Butters' panic was starting to affect him.

"Calm down, Butters," Kenny hissed. "Freaking out won't help the situation."

"I can't help it," Butters whined quietly.

"I spy something green."

"W-what?"

"I spy something green! Focus on the damn game, Butters."

He knew he was crazy, but he had to do something before one of them snapped from the pressure. They were both in a dangerous position, marching in the middle of a very angry crowd. If anyone suspected that they didn't belong, they'd be goners.

"I-is it Mr. Garrison's shirt?"

"Good. Your turn."

-.-.-.-.-.

Cartman wasted no time. "Tell your people to get that stage up. They're almost done, but they need to hurry. Call the police to tell them to get here now. Tell them both groups are armed, but not everyone is carrying a weapon."

As the mayor started making her phone calls, Cartman checked his phone for the latest texts. Kenny and Stan were being good at updating their locations at regular intervals. He quickly calculated the amount of time it would take for both groups to arrive.

When she got off the phone, he looked at her grimly. "We have about twenty minutes until they're both here. We need to move fast… and we need a plan."

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan decided that instead of just following the crowd and wondering whether his death would be quick or slow, he weaved his way around to find those who were on his side. He had a quiet conversation with one girl who he knew didn't want violence, and who also seemed to be not as enthusiastic and die-hard as the others. She was easily convinced that this was all crazy.

There was no way he could convert everyone. But he decided that he better gather those with him, so that they were at least all together and accounted for.

-.-.-.-.-.

Once Butters had calmed, Kenny thought the same thing.

"Ok, look, go find those on our side. I'll do the same. I want everyone together. Then, if we still have time before we get to city hall, we'll try to convince more people that this is nuts."

Butters nodded, looking fearfully around. "Ok…"

"You'll be fine."

-.-.-.-.-.

By the time they both ran up to the government building, Kyle and Wendy were gasping for breath. Kyle noted that the stage was almost set up. It looked like they were checking the sound system. Just as they were about to run in, Cartman came out with the mayor.

"Cartman!"

"Glad you guys made it," Cartman acknowledged. "Ok, so here's the plan."

-.-.-.-.-.

_-At c hall, everything set._

Stan read Wendy's text. He felt a bit more comfortable knowing that she was with the others. Now that he was with the people he converted, he didn't feel as nervous as he did before. He quickly texted the group his current location.

"Ok, look guys," Stan muttered, turning to those around him. "Things might get messy. It's anyone's guess what is going to happen. However, the more people we have on our side…"

-.-.-.-.-.

"… the better it will be," Kenny told them, looking around. "If any of you have parents in the group, talk to them. If you have friends, convince them that this is fucking nuts. If you have girlfriends or boyfriends, make them see your side. Go in pairs rather than alone. Meet back at the back of the group in ten minutes, no later. We'll be there soon, and so I want us all in the same place."

-.-.-.-.-.

"And one more thing – just ask those you think are willing to join us. Pick people who you think don't want violence. Pick people who aren't so gung-ho. I don't want our cover to be blown."

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle's heart pounded in his chest loudly, but he ignored it. He decided to help the tech team set up the stage, since they seemed to be struggling. Meanwhile, Cartman was informing them of the plan. Kyle listened while he worked. When he finished, he straightened.

"All set."

-.-.-.-.-.

"Ok, so everyone understand?" Cartman asked. They all nodded. "Good." He glanced at his watch. "Mayor, make sure security understands the situation. The first group should be here in just over five minutes."

He texted on his phone quickly.

_-Stay near the back of the group in case of fighting._

He looked up, meeting Kyle's eyes. "Now all there is left to do is wait."

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan was pretty proud of what his group came up with. Not everyone got someone, but quite a few people did, which almost doubled their numbers. However, it didn't go unnoticed that compared to the mob, it was nothing.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Butters! How'd it go?" Kenny asked, grabbing his arm.

"Ok, I guess." He gestured to Bebe. "I found Bebe, and she convinced her friends."

"Great." Kenny studied the sizable group that was forming in the back of the line. He was pretty proud of the turnout.

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan knew that Kyle and the rest would see his group soon, but he felt the need to update everyone, including Kenny.

_-Turning the corner, almost in view of stage._

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle's palms felt sweaty as he waited nervously. He stayed near Wendy, since he had taken it as his responsibility to look after her since Stan couldn't at the moment. He stared grimly up the street, where Stan's group would be seen first. Everyone gathered at the stage were silent.

When the first few people of Stan's group could be seen, Wendy grabbed a hold of his arm and squeezed tightly. And Kyle, for the first time since all of this started, realized the real reason why he had been so nervous all along.

-.-.-.-.-.

Cartman's eyes narrowed as he watched the first group come into view. They looked angrier than he had seen them in the past. They waved their signs and yelled, walking briskly down the main street. Even from the distance, Cartman could tell that they were ready for a fight, and wouldn't be satisfied until they felt victorious.

But Cartman wasn't nervous. He was Cartman, and Kyle, Stan, and Kenny were his friends. They had gotten out of various dangerous encounters in the past. He was confident that they could get out of this situation alive. Well, he was confident most of them would get out of it alive. He wasn't so sure about Kenny.

So he watched in silence, his hands clasped behind his back as he remained calm and collected.

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan glanced around. He knew the front of the group must be in view of the stage now. The others around him seemed grim and nervous. He couldn't blame them; it was how he felt as well. He also felt a sickening desire to throw up, but he promised silently in his head that he wouldn't. He had gotten good at controlling his urge to vomit.

Besides, if he started to fear for his life, he had brought his stun gun just in case.

-.-.-.-.-.

South Park had gotten itself into millions of these types of situations in the past. Hell, Kyle could come up with tons of examples of situations just like this one, where the town was divided and out looking for blood. But what made it different this time around was that nothing was predictable. Those who were marching with Kenny weren't acting like themselves, and in fact had changed their very definition of who and what they were. But even further, due to the changes that had been made, changes had happened in the group that opposed the changes as well.

Kyle had seen it first hand with his friends. He almost stopped breathing as he realized the full consequences of his actions. Kenny had been the most obviously influenced by Kyle, and Kyle had helped him do the same transformation. However, Cartman had been changed as well. Something about Kyle's change had made their relationship change into something more than just friends. It also made Cartman a heck of a lot nicer, which in term changed his relationship with everyone else around him. The situation with Stan, though, represented what was happening just now. Stan had opposed Kyle's change, and fought desperately to protect himself from said changes. However, Stan had changed without him realizing it. It had almost cost them their friendship.

As Kyle studied Stan's group as they marched closer, he realized for the first time that not one person in either group was predictable. Everyone was different than they were a few weeks ago, for better or for worse. And for the first time since coming back from his French language camp, he wanted things to be predictable again.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kenny silently counted the people who were on their side. It was hard to tell who was with them and who wasn't at this point, since he had told them to continue pretending that they were a part of the group. So even though they had gathered at the end of the line, they were all chanting along with the others, demanding for their rights to be whoever they wanted to be.

"The front of the group is almost to Main Street," Butters muttered to him. He looked insanely nervous.

Kenny quickly texted a warning to the others. He sighed, glancing around. Why did everyone in South Park have to be so fucking stupid?

-.-.-.-.-.

_-Front at Main soon._

Cartman glanced over at Kyle and Wendy. Wendy looked a bit scared, clinging onto Kyle's arm still. However, Cartman had a feeling she was more scared for Stan's safety than her own.

He silently studied Kyle's face. The expression on his face was one he had seen a million times in the past. Cartman could tell that he was nervous, and that he was probably blaming the situation on himself. But Kyle's eyes were bright and determined. He wasn't going to go down without a fight.

Cartman smiled slightly, looking toward where Kenny's group was about to emerge. Kyle hadn't changed at all. Not where it counted.

-.-.-.-.-.

He couldn't see it, but he knew when Kenny's group must have come into view. Stan's group got louder, starting to scream angry insults, demanding for blood to be shed. He saw his uncle, who was closer to the front, wave his rifle in the air.

Stan felt himself get angrier at the situation they were in. After all, he had felt the same betrayal as the others in this group felt, but he wasn't stupid enough to go this far. What could they possibly be thinking?

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle glared as the two groups started a mad march toward the stage and ultimately, each other. He was pissed. He hadn't gotten this mad in a while, but it felt familiar, so it gave him some comfort. Kyle was always a boy quick to anger, especially when he felt like people were being stupid.

This wasn't how South Park was going to end. They would stop this, or die trying.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kenny felt grim as his group picked up the pace, obviously wanting to get to the stage as quickly as possible. He knew how this would play out. They would meet in the center, most likely throw insults at each other, and then all of a sudden, they'd launch themselves at each other.

"Kenny."

He glanced over at Bebe, who was waving her phone at him. He blinked.

"I was just thinking about who we used to be good friends with in elementary school," she explained. "And that got me thinking. I sent a text to all of them, and it sounds like all of them think this is nuts. Most of them aren't here at the march today, and didn't even realize that they had started marching. They are all coming down to help!"

"That's good," Kenny replied, his spirits lifting a bit. "You should ask them to send word to their neighbors. If people aren't marching, then they most likely aren't as crazy as these people are." He spoke quietly so others wouldn't hear them. "They could come and support us as well."

Bebe nodded, her fingers immediately flying in order to send the message out. Kenny was glad that Bebe was such a social butterfly, and had kept in contact with their old classmates.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Ok, Mayor. Things are probably going to start getting crazy in a few minutes, so have your men ready to do some damage control," Cartman said quietly but firmly. She left his side to talk to security.

Cartman moved over closer to where Kyle and Wendy were waiting. "Ok, guys. Just keep in mind that our primary goal is to keep these idiots from killing each other off. The mayor is going to try to talk them down, but I doubt it's going to do anything. They all look like they are out for murder. We're just going to have to trust that Kenny and Stan find us soon, and hope to god that we have enough people supporting us that we can end this quickly. Under no circumstances, however, are either of you entering those mobs. None of us are in with either group, so they'll attack us like we're the enemy."

"So what the hell are we supposed to do, Cartman?" Wendy demanded. "I can't just sit by and let Stan get hurt!"

Cartman felt his patience being tested. Kyle pursed his lips and replied for him, "Wendy, I'm just as concerned as you are, but Cartman's right. The moment we step into either side, there will be a target on our backs. Besides, we have a plan, and we have to stick to it."

Wendy didn't look happy, but she stopped complaining. Cartman was glad. Even though he was generally being nicer to everyone, Wendy still had a way of pissing him off.

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan felt his nervousness rise even further as his group closed in on the stage. He could see it ahead of them, right where they always put it. He could see Kyle's green hat, and Wendy's long, black hair. He could see the police force, which was probably not big enough to really help with anything.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kenny licked his lips. They weren't as close to the stage as the other group was, but at the pace they were going, they'd probably meet in the middle at the same time.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. God he was mad.

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan's group was slowing, most likely in an unconscious effort to meet at the stage at the same time as the others. He hoped Wendy would be alright.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kenny's heart was pounding. He didn't like being in such dangerous situations, because he knew how they almost always ended for him.

They were almost there.

-.-.-.-.-.

Cartman watched for only a second longer, and then turned toward the mayor, nodding. This was it.


	26. Chapter 26

Both groups were pissed. They faced each other as they stood in front of the stage, screaming and waving their signs and weapons in rage. The mayor was trying to get their attention, to calm them down, to help in any way she could.

"Please, everyone, we need to calm down before this gets out of hand!"

Cartman's skin crawled. He knew a riot when it was starting. Hell, you had to be blind not to see it about to happen. He quickly started to make his way to the podium, in hopes that he could stop it himself, but before he could, it happened.

-.-.-.-.-.

If Stan had to describe how it felt when the mob suddenly went psycho, he really wouldn't know where to begin. It felt almost surreal, like it wasn't really happening to him. However, he immediately was reminded of how he felt when he went to Imaginationland. There had been blood flying, screaming, and just general mass slaughter. He felt exactly the same way as he did then.

It was hard to hear. It was hard to move. It was just hard to really do anything at this point. Nothing made sense.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kenny's immediate reaction to the snap in tension was to duck. Luckily he did so, because Stan's group had begun shooting their guns, and he heard a bullet whiz by where his head had just been. Butters was screaming in terror, as were many people around him. He wasn't fazed much by the blood, though. After all, he was used to seeing his own.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle stared in shock at first, watching the citizens begin to slaughter each other without much of a second thought. They had lived there all their lives, seen each other at the grocery store, hell, they lived next to each other. How could they even think about doing something so obscene?

But his shock only lasted a moment, because someone began shooting up at the stage. They had to get off of there, since they were easy targets. Kyle grabbed Wendy's arm. He glanced over where Cartman had been, but he didn't see him. He jumped off the stage, rolling with Wendy in the snow.

-.-.-.-.-.

It was utter chaos. The only good thing about the situation was that it was easy to tell who was in your group and who was about to kill you. He weaved through the crowd, dodging strikes as he went. He had gotten almost immediately separated from Butters and the others, and his only plan now was to get out of danger.

-.-.-.-.-.

Cartman cursed to himself. He had thrown himself and the mayor off the left side of the stage once the bullets started flying toward them, but now he was far away from the microphone. The mayor was panicking, of course, which didn't help. He needed to think.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle searched the crowd, trying desperately to find Kenny or Stan. He had pulled Wendy underneath the stage. They could see into the crowd still, but the crowd didn't really notice them under there.

Suddenly, Kenny flung himself under the stage, panting slightly.

"Kenny!" Kyle hissed, crawling over to him quickly. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah," he breathed, clutching his stomach. "Where are Cartman and Stan?"

Kyle shrugged. "I lost track of Cartman, and I haven't seen Stan." Kyle moved away to get a better look into the crowd. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach that Stan was currently panicking.

"Fuck," he finally cursed. "I'll be right back."

"Kyle! Don't!" Kenny yelled, but it was too late. Kyle had already made a break for the mob.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kenny groaned. "That stupid fuck…" He winced.

Wendy noticed right away. "Kenny, are you alright?" she asked, moving closer. "Here, let me look."

Kenny didn't want to show her, but he knew that he should. He pulled his hand away from his stomach. He hated the site of his own blood. "It's not that bad," he tried to convince them both.

-.-.-.-.-.

Cartman slapped the mayor across the face. She gasped, looking shocked. "Snap out of it, bitch!" he screamed. "We have to figure something out, and your panic isn't helping the situation. Now are you going to help me or what?"

She stared for a moment, and then nodded. "You're right, Eric."

"Good. Now, I need to find my friends…"

-.-.-.-.-.

He found Randy Marsh before he found his son.

"Kyle? What are you doing here?" Mr. Marsh demanded.

Kyle glared. "Mr. Marsh, what the fuck do you think you're doing? Your son is on the other side, and could be seriously hurt!"

"Stan's here?"

"Yeah, and just about everyone else's children, if you open your eyes!"

He had no time to waste on Stan's dad. He had to find Stan. If Stan got hurt, it would be his entire fault. He quickly turned away, dodging fists and, miraculously, bullets, as he searched desperately.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Kenny?"

Cartman rushed forward. He had found Kenny and Wendy hiding under the stage, way on the opposite corner of where Cartman had been.

"I'm fine," Kenny hissed. "Kyle went to look for Stan."

"WHAT? That's exactly what I told that stupid Jew NOT to do!"

"We tried to stop him, but you know him," Kenny grinned weakly.

"Goddamnit Kenny, I swear that if you die again, I'm going to be super pissed!"

Cartman took off his jacket. He had worn a shirt and tie to the meeting with the mayor, and had also been wearing a nice suit jacket that he insisted his mom buy for him. He covered Kenny with it, to keep him warm.

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan could faintly hear someone calling his name, but it was still hard to focus on anything. Suddenly, he registered a burst of pain across his cheek, and he was finally able to focus on what was in front of him.

Kyle was clutching onto his jacket, his eyes more intense than he had seen them in a long time.

"Stan!" he yelled again. "Snap out of it, we have to go!"

Wow, this really WAS just like Imaginationland.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle pulled Stan along, his heart racing and his blood boiling. He was now calling more attention to himself now that he was dragging Stan, who obviously belonged with the anti-change group, along. People yelled at him, but luckily, no one tried to hurt him…

Until Skeeter stepped in front of him.

Kyle let go of Stan, taking a step back away from the man in the pink shirt. Kyle had always avoided interacting with him. Skeeter glared at them both, gun in his hand. Kyle recalled that he had been the leader of the pro-war supporters way back when. He also knew Skeeter probably wouldn't hesitate to pull that trigger, especially since he looked drunk.

"We don't take kindly to your kind!" Skeeter yelled, his finger pressing onto the trigger.

"AH!" Kyle yelled involuntarily, but before the other man could shoot, Skeeter suddenly yelled himself, falling to the ground. Kyle gaped at Stan, who had used his stun gun against the large man.

"Let's get out of here!" Stan cried. They both bolted for the stage.

-.-.-.-.-.

"That's it, I'm going after him."

"Don't. Wait another minute," Kenny ground out. God, Cartman could be so annoying sometimes.

"What if we wait too long? What if something happens to them? What if – Kyle!"

Kenny looked up, and sure enough, Kyle and Stan had just thrown themselves under the stage. Suddenly, Kyle started laughing, rolling onto his back.

"Oh my god, Stan, did you see his face? That was the most fucking hilarious thing I've ever seen!"

Apparently the laugh was infectious, because Stan started laughing too. "Yeah, that was pretty sweet."

"Kahl!" Cartman yelled, looking pissed. "I told you not to go into the mob and you did it anyway!"

Kyle paused, looking over. Wendy had already crawled over to Stan and was hugging him fiercely.

"Cartman," Kyle said calmly. "It's Stan. I couldn't just leave him."

Cartman looked like he was going to argue, but didn't.

-.-.-.-.-.

They all gathered by Kenny to assess the situation further. After making sure that Kenny was ok, Kyle remained quiet as they discussed. Stan found it rather odd, but figured his friend was just lost in thought.

"Look," Cartman said. "We have to stop these idiots, so what do you all propose we do?"

"You mean you ran out of ideas?" Kenny asked.

"No… it's just that we can't get to that microphone. The moment any one of us going up there, we're going to be shot at."

"Maybe we should just let them kill each other off," Stan suggested miserably. They all knew that he wasn't being serious.

"I'm not opposed to that idea," Cartman admitted, "but we should really come up with another plan."

"Well, even if we COULD get to the microphone," Wendy pointed out, "they'd probably still shoot at us, so it would be pointless to really try for the microphone at this point."

"Not unless it was someone neutral," Stan hoped.

"But none of us are neutral," Kenny sighed. "I mean, they all think we either belong to them or the other group, or in the case of you guys," he jerked his head toward Cartman and Wendy, "they know that you are against BOTH of them." He suddenly got a strange look on his face.

"We could get the mayor to go up again," Wendy proposed.

"Um, guys?"

"They won't listen to her," Cartman growled. "They barely acknowledged her before all hell broke loose."

"Guys," Kenny tried again. "… Where's Kyle?"

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle knew what he had to do. He was the one who started this whole mess. It might not have been on purpose, and he definitely shouldn't be blamed for the way the others reacted. However, he was still the instigator. Therefore, he had to be the one to fix all of this.

He had easily crawled away from the others, since they were so preoccupied with trying to figure out a solution. He looked grimly up at the stage.

He knew it was probably suicide. He knew that it was one of the most stupid things he could have come up with. But he also knew that it was the only way. It was his responsibility to fix this.

He narrowed his eyes in determination. He took a deep breath, and slowly climbed onto the stage.


	27. Chapter 27

He was surprised that no one actually noticed him at first. He had made it all the way to the center of the stage. His hands were shaking slightly, and he felt a cold sweat forming. He slowly grabbed the microphone from its stand.

As Kyle took a deep breath, he mentally prepared himself for the possibility that this would be his last few moments of life.

"STOP IT!" He screamed into the microphone, most likely shattering everyone's eardrums in the process. He didn't care – he needed to get their attention.

Everyone yelled and covered their ears in surprise, but luckily, they stopped what they were doing. They all turned their attention onto him, the lone person standing in the middle of the stage, microphone in hand.

He stomped from around the podium, and chose instead to stand in front of it. Kyle let his anger do the talking.

"What the fuck is wrong with all of you?" he demanded, glaring down at them. "Don't you all see that this is all stupid? You're killing each other, and for what? These are your neighbors! Your children! Your friends' children! Hell, even your family! AND YOU'RE OK WITH DOING THIS?"

He paused. So far he wasn't dead, so he took that as a good sign. He noticed that more people were joining the crowd by the stage. They were people who hadn't been involved with the fighting. Kyle felt a wave of relief, because at least these people would have some common sense.

"Look, I know you are all upset. Hell, you have a right to be upset! But for fuck's sake, don't go killing all of the people who you grew up with! Why can't we act like civilized adults and talk this through?

"Ok, so some of you are angry that people are changing their clothes and using it as an excuse to pretend to be someone they aren't. But that doesn't give you a right to go and shoot them! They are allowed to be whoever they want to be, regardless of how you feel about it. If you don't like it, then don't be friends with them! Don't go trying to shoot them!

"And then some of you are angry that people refuse to change, or that they aren't happy with your new decisions. Well, duh! This town isn't good with change, and now that everyone is doing it, of course they aren't going to be happy. But what really upsets them is that they lost their best friends!"

He hesitated again, to see if he was finally getting through to these people. He wasn't really sure of his effectiveness, but he decided to keep going.

"When I changed my clothes and stopped wearing my hat, I felt good. I finally felt like I was being true to myself. But what I didn't realize is that it had upset my best friend. I didn't understand why he couldn't be happy for me. After all, all I really changed were my clothes. I was still the same person. I was just done pretending to be someone I wasn't. But I learned something today. Whenever you make a change, for better or for worse, you ultimately affect everyone else around you, especially those who really care about you. That shouldn't prevent you, though, from being who you truly are. But you should be respectful and mindful that it will take a while for others to get used to the changes.

"Also, you shouldn't just change your clothes or your attitude just because it's hip or cool. You should never just change to pretend to be someone you aren't. That's not being fair to your family and friends. Instead, you should just be yourself. If the clothes you wear don't reflect who you are, then change them like I did. But don't go pretending to be an asshole or cool when you aren't.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, stop acting like a bunch of fucktards and move on! Stop taking out your fear of change on those who want to be different, and stop pretending to be someone you aren't! And for god's sake, stop fighting each other!"

He continued glaring, his heart pounding. He knew he was right, and he knew that in any other town, his words would have an effect. But this was South Park.

He began to worry when he didn't hear any feedback from the crowd. They weren't cheering. They weren't shooting at him. He preferred any sort of reaction to this silence. He glanced at the newcomers. He knew that they weren't saying anything because they feared what would happen if the mob suddenly turned on them.

Then suddenly, he heard a sound from his left. He looked over, and saw Cartman climbing onto the stage, quickly followed by Stan, Wendy, and even Kenny. They walked over to him. Kenny, Stan, and Wendy faced the crowd, and Cartman held his hand for the microphone. Kyle handed it over without complaint.

"Kyle's right," Cartman's confident voice boomed in the speakers. "Fighting like this won't solve anything, and in fact only causes more harm than good."

"Exactly!" came a familiar voice from the crowd. Kyle blinked, seeing his mother in the back. The crowd turned toward her. "My son and his friends are right! All of you are being ridiculous!" She made her way to the stage, easily making a path. She climbed the stairs and stood by Kenny, not asking for the microphone. "Look at this poor boy that one of you shot! Is this what we want to teach our children?"

Cartman cleared his throat. "Those of you with us, come to the stage! Come up here to stand up against the pointless violence, but most of all, to stand up to simply being true to yourself!"

There was a pause, and Kyle held his breath. Finally, Butters boldly made his way to the stage. This spurred all of his old elementary school classmates to come at the stage, one at a time. Most of them looked like they hadn't been involved with the fight, but some of them had clearly been there. Kyle smiled at them, thankful. Only a second later, their principal also joined them.

"They're right, everyone," Randy Marsh announced, looking forlorn. "Through this whole experience, I didn't even think about the example I was setting for my child. And look – he ended up being here, and he could have gotten hurt." He made his way to the stage, and hugged Stan. "I'm so sorry Stan."

"It's ok, Dad," Stan replied.

Kyle felt a wave of relief as more and more people slowly made their way to the stage. It seemed as if the bloodshed that had been happening almost moments before never happened. He looked over at his friends, and they all shared a look.

It was finally over.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Are you feeling ok, Ken?" Kyle asked when he saw Kenny waking up.

Kenny blinked, looking around. "I seriously didn't die this time?"

Kyle couldn't help but grin. "Nope. You DID pass out on stage, though, so we rushed you over here. The others stayed back to help clean up the mess and take care of things, but I came. They took you into surgery, but you're fine now."

"Wow," Kenny laughed weakly. "I can't believe I didn't die."

"Yeah, me neither." Kyle reached over and squeezed his hand. "But everything is under control. The war is over, and hopefully things will go back to normal in no time."

"That was a really great speech you made today."

Kyle laughed. "Eh, I was pissed. This town can be so fucking lame."

"Can't argue with that," Kenny laughed softly.

They fell silent for a few moments. Kyle didn't really know what else to say on the matter. It felt like they had been talking about the issue for so long, so he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"So… are you in pain?" he finally asked, studying his friend.

"Nah," Kenny grinned. "I think they have me doped up on drugs… but even so, considering that I only got shot in the stomach, this is nothing compared to what usually happens to me."

"That's true."

"Kyle? Can I tell you something?"

"Sure, Ken… anything."

"I'm pretty doped up on these drugs, but I know that I can tell you this without you taking this the wrong way. But seriously, I love you man. You didn't know it at the time, I'm sure, but you pointed out to the town of South Park one of their biggest flaws. And that speech that you gave really drove home the idea that South Park needs to just accept that change is a part of life. You really inspired me, Kyle. Through this whole experience, you've given me hope that I won't end up poor and useless after graduation and for the rest of my life. I don't want to live here forever, which was kind of what I assumed would happen. But I'm going to go to college. Sure, not a fancy one… but I know that I can apply for student loans, get a semi-decent education, and get a job. I don't want to turn out like my parents. So, I know that you think that this whole riot thing is your fault, but you seriously inspired me to change my life. I hope that you don't regret one moment of what happened. Besides, it's not your fault that South Park is filled with morons."

Kyle's throat felt tight. "Ken…"

"I'm lucky to have you as a friend, Kyle."

Kyle couldn't take it anymore. It was probably the nicest thing Kyle had ever heard in his life, and because it was coming from Kenny, it felt like the greatest compliment in the world. He leaned forward, hugging Kenny in a tight embrace.

"Thank you Kenny," he mumbled.

Kenny laughed. "Ah, better not hold on too long. I don't want Cartman to find out and then I end up dying again."

"I doubt he could ever kill you," Kyle pointed out, pulling away. They both grinned at each other.

Kyle didn't mention it, but Kyle considered himself as the lucky one to have such a good friend, not the other way around.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle wondered what school would be like the next day. It was now Sunday, and he was getting ready for work. He sighed, staring at his reflection in the mirror. His hair was slowly starting to grow back, but he still looked ridiculous. He hadn't had time to really get a haircut, but he promised that he would go after school tomorrow. At least then his hair would be the same length. He mourned the future loss of his hair, but he knew that it would grow back.

He put his hat on. Before work, he had to take care of something, and it wasn't going to be easy.

He headed downstairs. His mom was cleaning up some dishes in the kitchen, chatting idly with his dad about yesterday's events.

"Hey… can I talk to you?" Kyle asked, stepping into the kitchen.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle yawned. God he was bored. He looked down at his homework. He hadn't worked on his homework all weekend, for obvious reasons, so now he really should focus on it. However, he really wasn't in the mood.

The door opened, and he looked up hopefully. However, it wasn't the person he wanted to see. Instead, it was Butters' dad.

He nodded in greeting before looking back down at his homework. He knew Cartman probably wouldn't show up today. He was busy keeping Kenny entertained in the hospital. Kyle preferred that Cartman be there for Kenny, but he really wanted to talk to him.

When Mr. Stotch paid for his porno rental and left, Kyle sighed. He glanced at the clock. It was only six. He still had three hours left.

"Hey Jew."

Kyle's heart tightened as he looked up. "Cartman!"

Cartman smirked, coming in. "Glad to see me, I see?"

"Am I ever. Wait… weren't you going to be with Ken?"

"Well, he was actually released about a half hour ago. I went with him back to his house, but decided that he probably needed some rest."

Kyle smiled. "I'm glad that you came."

Cartman leaned against the counter, eying his papers. "Homework?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to do it." He closed his math textbook. "I mean, I doubt anyone in class is going to actually do their homework after what happened."

"I'm sure not," Cartman laughed.

"I can always make up for it later in the week."

"I wonder what school is going to be like tomorrow."

"Yeah."

"It's hard to really feel what the town is feeling, since I was at the hospital all day. I'm really tired of being there, by the way."

"Well, I was inside for most of the day, too, so I don't know either. And I don't blame you for being sick of it." There was a pause in conversation. Kyle glanced at Cartman and bit his lip. "So… I told my mom about my job."

"Wow, how did she take that?"

"Not the best… But we're going to talk more about it when I go home tonight, I'm sure. I don't know."

"Well, whatever. Your grades haven't dropped, so she doesn't really have an argument against you."

"I guess. I'm sure it will all work out."

Cartman looked thoughtful. "Can I ask you something?"

"Um, sure."

"What are we, exactly?"

Kyle blinked. "Well, that's a good question."

"Because… I don't want you dating other people."

Kyle wondered what exactly that meant. "So we're dating?"

"I don't know."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "For a confident guy, you seem pretty uncertain."

"Well, how should I know?" He looked frustrated.

"Let's see. We've kissed. We've made out. We've confessed that we care for each other…" Kyle listed, counting each point with a finger. "I guess the real question is do you WANT to date me?"

Cartman looked hesitant. Kyle took this as a bad sign.

"Oh," he muttered, disappointed.

"No! That's… Goddamnit Kyle. I… I like you. I do. But… I don't know if I'd be… I'd be a good boyfriend. Besides… this whole being gay or bisexual or whatever I am is a bit new to me."

Kyle considered this. "Yeah… and I guess that we've only been openly friends for a month now." He was still disappointed, though.

Cartman studied his shoes. "Look. I don't like… talking about this." Kyle nodded, waiting for him to continue. "This sounds totally lame, but I don't want to fuck things up with you. So I'm worried. But at the same time… I know it's only been a month, but I've liked you for a long time, even though I would have never admitted it. And... well, we've known each other since elementary school."

Kyle nodded, studying his face. It seemed redder than normal.

"I guess… what I'm saying… is that… if you wanna… we could… you know… date I guess. But I don't want to take you out ON dates, because that's totally stupid."

"Ok…"

"And I'm not going to give you flowers or some shit like that."

Kyle kept nodding his head, his eyebrows raised.

"If anyone asks, I'm totally manly."

"Ok…"

"And I'm not going to act all lovey-dovey…"

"Yeah…"

"And if we have sex, I'm totally on top."

Kyle snorted. "Are you done?"

Cartman huffed. "I guess."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "I don't want you to be all 'lovey-dovey.' I just… want you to be yourself. Besides…" He leaned over, feeling bold, and kissed Cartman gently on the lips. "I like the idea of you on top."

He could sense the other boy shiver just before Cartman hungrily captured his lips with his own.

-.-.-.-.-.

"So when is Kenny going to be back?" Wendy asked, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

Kyle shrugged. They were sitting at their usual lunch table on Monday. Wendy had joined them.

"I don't know," Stan answered. "It seems that Kenny recovers quickly from injuries, so he might be able to come back as early as tomorrow. He might try to milk out an extra day of it… but knowing Kenny, he'd rather be here with us than his family."

"Well, it will be good to have him back," Wendy said.

"Eh, that just means that he'll steal all my food," Cartman grumbled.

"Whatever," Kyle argued. "You purposefully get extra food for him."

"I only do it because I know if I don't, he'll steal it anyway. Then I'd be hungry."

"Right."

"You know what?" Stan interjected. "This is awesome. All of us together again, the school is relatively back to normal… I missed this."

Kyle nodded. "Yeah, this is great. I'm glad that things are back to how they are supposed to be."

"Fags."

Kyle rolled his eyes, frustrated. "Cartman, why do you have to be such a douche? We all know you're happy about it too."

"Yeah, but I'm not going to point it out."

Kyle shook his head, glancing at Stan. "I guess some things never change."

Stan laughed. "I guess not."

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan took a sip from his shake, studying Kyle from across the table. "So… dish about you and Cartman."

"I agree," Kenny added.

They had decided to hang out after school on Tuesday. Cartman didn't join them. He claimed it was because he didn't want to hang out with losers like them, but Kyle explained to them that it was really because it was Cartman's mom's birthday. Kyle, Kenny, and Stan decided to go to their favorite burger joint for some fries and something to drink.

Kyle almost choked on his French fry. "What do you want to know?"

Stan shrugged. "I don't know… how the hell did it happen?"

Kyle thought for a moment, taking a sip of his soda. "Well… I don't really know exactly. I guess the super short version is that he kept visiting me at work, we became better friends, especially after I called him out on it, and then… well… things just kind of progressed."

"When did you… start going out?" It was strange to hear it like that.

"I guess we didn't really decide until last night. But we had our first kiss the day Kenny died."

"That's kind of weird," Kenny pointed out.

Kyle snorted. "Yeah, I guess. I just think Cartman was really upset about it, so it just kind of happened."

"Huh," Stan commented.

"I'm glad that I could bring you two love birds together," Kenny laughed, stealing one of Kyle's French fries for himself.

"Sorry, I'm sure it sounds super creepy," Kyle admitted. They munched on their food for a few moments before Kyle suddenly broke into laughter.

"What?" Stan asked, tilting his head.

"Want to know something hilarious? So, remember how Cartman was bragging how he won that bet with me? It seems like he totally forgot about it."

"Really? That's really unlike him."

"Yeah, I know."

"What bet?" Kenny asked.

"I bet Cartman that when Mr. Stotch came in to the video store one night that he wouldn't buy porn with both of us standing there. Cartman won."

Kenny laughed. "Nice."

"But that day was the day I got taken to the hospital, and things just got crazy from there. I'm sure he'll remember eventually, but I'm not going to be the one to remind him."

Stan got a curious look on his face. "I know I said I didn't want to know, but… what exactly did you bet?"

Kyle grinned, looking devious. "A hand job."

Stan spit his shake up all over the counter while Kenny broke into a fit of unsuppressed laughter.

_~Fin~_

-.-.-.-.-.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, that's it. I hope you all enjoyed my story. Please let me know in your reviews!

By the way, I know the ending is, yet again, abrupt. I apologize sincerely. I guess I need to work on my endings. -_- I promise to try harder on my next story (which is currently in the planning stage).

Speaking of reviews, I want to extend my greatest thanks to all of those who encouraged me along the way with amazing reviews and comments about how they enjoyed the story. I know I didn't get back to any of you, really…. I promise to improve that next time as well. However, I also plan to respond to all of you that reviewed. Anyway, I really worked hard on this project. I don't consider myself a writer (probably because I'm not), and the encouragement really means the world to me. It pushes me to do better, but also motivates me to continue writing. Hopefully I have grown as a writer since my last project, Hate.

Again, thank you all for taking this journey with me. I hope that it was worth the trip.

~Kymanlvr


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